It will take a collective effort to fight climate change – Lulapublished at 15:11 GMT

15:11 GMT

Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech during the General Plenary of Leaders in the framework of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on November 6, 2025Image source, Getty Images

Brazil’s president says fighting climate change should be a priority for each government and each person in the planet.

“We need to overcome the mismatch of the lack of connection between diplomatic dialogue and “the actual world,” he says.

It will take a collective effort, listening to indigenous communities and those bearing the brunt of climate change. It’ll take a global “mutirão” approach.

The term “mutirão”, originally from the indigenous Tupi-Guarani language, is a tricky word to translate into English but very simple to understand in Brazil.

It is more of a feeling and loosely translates to “collective efforts”. It was adopted by the COP30 presidency as a slogan to encourage climate action worldwide from all sectors of society, in particular civic society and grassroots organisations.

President Lula goes on to say we also have to overcome inequalities, and the “opportunity window” to act is “closing quickly”.

“Climate change is the result of the same dynamics that during centuries has broken our societies between rich and poor,” he adds, “climate justice is allied with fighting hunger and poverty, the struggle against racism, gender inequality”.