AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Brazil's president opened this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference in the Amazon with a plea for participants to work together and make concrete goals to stop global warming before it's too late. The annual mega conference brings together world leaders, environmentalists and thousands of negotiators. It's facing unique challenges this year. First, some of the world's largest polluters, including the U.S., are absent. And then there are the logistical challenges of Brazil hosting some 50,000 people in a small city that is not equipped for such a large gathering. We are joined now by NPR's Carrie Kahn in Rio de Janeiro. Hi, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi.
CHANG: So opening ceremonies began today. What have you heard so far on this first day?
KAHN: A lot of speeches, including from the head of the U.N. conference, Simon Stiell, who launched right into the heart of the debate over these mega conferences. He told attendees, your job here is, quote, "not to fight one another. Your job here is to fight this climate crisis together." Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also gave a very energetic speech. But first, he welcomed everyone to the small Amazon city of Belem and recommended some local fish.
CHANG: (Laughter).
KAHN: Seriously, though, Belem has been stretched to the max. Housing has been such a challenge, with prices skyrocketing for rooms and hotels. Many are staying in renovated shipping containers or on cruise ships. And looming over the conference, as you said, are the absence of many countries, the largest polluters on the planet, most notably the United States. But also China and Russia aren't sending high-level delegations either, and India has limited its participation too.
CHANG: Right. So how has the Trump administration been explaining why they are not participating?
KAHN: They say they're not coming. The White House has mocked the conference. President Trump denies climate change, and recently, he called efforts to limit global warming a hoax. It's no surprise he didn't come. Trump is investing big in fossil fuels, which he says is better for U.S. economic prosperity, and he's canceled billions of dollars of renewable energy contracts.
CHANG: All right. So as President Lula is playing host to this mega conference, you say that he gave a very energetic speech. What did he say exactly?
KAHN: Sure. Right after the fish recommendation, he went right to the challenges of combating climate change. He decried what he called the age of misinformation. Lula loves being on the world stage, and he's a huge proponent of multilateralism. He clashes quite publicly with Trump over this issue and others. And without mentioning Trump, he went at climate deniers, who he says control algorithms, sow hatred and spread fear and attack science and universities.
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PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).
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KAHN: He says, "it is time to inflict another defeat on these deniers."
CHANG: So what are you going to be watching for specifically from this conference, Carrie?
KAHN: It's interesting. President Lula has this new, ambitious project that's a fund to preserve tropical forests. He's aiming to raise $125 billion. He wants that money invested in bonds to essentially use the returns to reward countries to save forests instead of tearing them down. He has a long way to go to reach that goal. And at the end of the conference, organizers say they don't want the typical list of pledges that will be signed. Instead, they want issued these, quote, "roadmaps," these steps to outline action, like financing these green projects and concrete steps to limit global warming. So we'll have to see what comes at the end of the two-week conference.
CHANG: We will have to see. That is NPR's Carrie Kahn. Thank you so much, Carrie.
KAHN: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF REVERIE SONG, "GIVE IT TIME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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