ANTALYA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva blasted the lack of action on global warming Wednesday, telling the UN climate summit the issue "has disappeared" from the world agenda.
"Since the start of this year, climate change has disappeared from speeches and documents from our global leadership," the veteran leftist told the COP31 conference in Turkey.
"At G7 and G20 meetings, forums that bring together the biggest global emitters of greenhouse gases, concern has turned to silence. We've turned to talking more about arms and tariffs than the survival of future generations," said Lula, whose re-election last month was welcomed by climate campaigners.
Lula, 81, has overseen a dramatic drop in deforestation in Brazil's vast portion of the Amazon rainforest, whose carbon-absorbing trees are a vital buffer against climate change.
But he nearly lost his battle for a fourth term to right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro.
Lula said Brazil, which hosted last year's United Nations climate talks in the Amazonian city of Belem, was back in the climate change fight.
Brazilian voters "took on those who deny scientific evidence, who threaten the survival of the world's largest rainforest, greatest diversity and biggest freshwater reserves", he said.
"Brazil is back to defend the continuity of a healthy planet."