Climate Summit COP30

Key leaders missing as UN climate summit begins

Today, world leaders are meeting in Belém, Brazil, ahead of next week's global climate summit COP30. But this time, only about 60 of the world's heads of state are attending - among others, the leaders of the three largest emitters, the US, China and India, are not attending, writes SVT Nyheter. No delegation is being sent to the meeting from the US, writes AFP.

From the European side, however, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Friedrich Merz and British Keir Starmer are attending. Unlike Sweden, Norway and Finland are sending their prime ministers, while Denmark has not yet made any announcement.

150 heads of state attended the meeting two years ago. Sweden sent several ministers that time, including the prime minister. Last year, the number of heads of state was 75.

EU countries agree – to reduce emissions by 90 percent by 2040

EU countries have agreed to reduce their emissions by 90 percent by 2040, compared to 1990, writes TT.

The agreement contains increased possibilities to count climate initiatives in countries outside Europe, which is why several media outlets describe it as watered down. Countries are allowed to count up to five percent of their emission reductions from such projects, which makes the real target an 85 percent reduction, writes Reuters.

The announcement comes after long negotiations between the Union's climate and environment ministers. There has been a rush to agree on an updated climate plan before the COP30 summit, which begins in Brazil tomorrow, Thursday.