For the first time in history, the U.S. isn't at the annual world climate conference called COP30. But some countries say they're OK with that. Countries including China and Brazil are stepping up. AILSA CHANG, HOST: World climate negotiations are entering the final days in Belem, Brazil.
Turkey bagged the hosting rights for COP31, while Australia reluctantly agreed to lead the summit's negotiations, ending a diplomatic standoff between the two countries over the presidency of next year's UN climate conference. Both countries had bid to host next year's COP, but Turkey emerged with greater support.
A monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed, July 15, 2025, in Chicago. Erin Hooley/AP hide caption toggle caption Erin Hooley/AP BILLINGS, Mont.
As nearly 200 countries debate the planet's climate future at the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem, India finds itself in a unique position in balancing the weight of its need for economic growth with its increasingly prominent role as a voice representing the Global South.
Home insurance is getting less affordable, and less available, as insurers raise prices and pull back from areas with extreme weather. That is changing communities, including those in Southwest Florida that were damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Anita Soina is a climate activist from Kenya with over 100,000 Instagram followers. She is widely seen as one of Africa's most promising voices in the environmental movement. The 26-year-old, who is a member of Kenya's Maasai community, traveled to the city of Belem in northern Brazil for COP30, the UN climate conference.
Stefanie and Norbert Bartel's farm in eastern Germany is a stone's throw from the Oder River and right across from the Polish town of Porzecze on the opposite riverbank. The Oder's lush, fertile banks attract tourists, who cycle along the broad pathways and enjoy the rich birdlife.
Washington will not be sending a top-level team to this year's COP climate summit in Belem, Brazil.
Last year's UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, opened with the country's president, Ilham Aliyev, calling oil — the fossil fuel that, alongside gas and coal, drives global warming — a "gift of God."
Two cruise ships are bobbing quietly in the specially expanded port near the city of Belem in northern Brazil on the edge of the Amazon. They will serve as alternative accommodation for more than 10,000 participants at this year's climate conference.
Brazil knows how to put on a show. From the World Cup and the Olympics to a recent free Lady Gaga concert that drew millions of people to Copacabana Beach, few nations stage global spectacles quite like it. Next up is climate diplomacy's most important annual event, the UN climate summit, known as COP.
House Votes on Funding Bill, Shutdown Deal Dissent, COP30 Global Emissions Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top story The U.S.