Country leaders at a climate summit in Brazil on Thursday bemoaned the fractured global consensus on climate action, taking swipes at the climate-denying US government while trying to assure the world they were still on mission.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tore into nations for their failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as Brazil hosted world leaders for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference in the rainforest city of Belem.

“Too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation, with billions spent on lobbying, deceiving the public and obstructing progress,” Guterres said in his speech. “Too many leaders remain captive to these entrenched interests.”

Countries are spending about $1 trillion each year subsidising fossil fuels.

Leaders have two clear options, Guterres said: “We can choose to lead - or be led to ruin.”

Missing from the lineup were leaders from four of the world’s five most-polluting economies – China, the United States, India and Russia – though the European Commission president and China’s vice premier were on site.

The US administration opted to send no one to the talks. Instead, top US officials were in Greece alongside fossil fuel giant Exxon Mobil on Thursday as it signed a new deal to explore offshore for natural gas.

Colombia’s president criticized the absence of US President Donald Trump, whose country is responsible for releasing the most emissions into the atmosphere.

“Mr. Trump is against humanity. His absence here demonstrates that,” said President Gustavo Petro, who had US sanctions imposed against him last month.

A handful of leaders referenced Trump’s description of climate change as the world’s greatest “con-job”.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said bluntly through a translator: “That is a lie.”

Ireland’s prime minister questioned the priorities of those skipping the summit.

“At a time when political leadership has never been more vital, there are fewer of us here in Belem, fewer leaders ready to tell it as it is,” said Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.

“Climate change is unarguable. The science is undeniable. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking,” he said. “If we are not prepared to tell our citizens the truth about this, we are failing them and this planet in the most profound way.”

Some said the absence of the United States from COP30 may free countries to discuss action without any one player dominating the outcome.

“Without the US present, we can actually see a real multilateral conversation happening,” said Pedro Abramovay, vice president of programs at Open Society Foundations and a former justice minister under Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

‘Coalition of the willing’

The COP30 conference marks three decades since global climate negotiations began. In that time, countries have curbed the projected climb in emissions somewhat, but not enough to prevent what scientists consider extreme global warming in the next few decades.

The World Meteorological Organization announced this year would likely be the second- or third-warmest on record, with the temperature average through August being 1.42 C above the preindustrial average, after record heat in 2023 and 2024.

Outside of the conference venue - still under construction ahead of next week’s summit start - a small group of Indigenous people marched in a circle while singing and urging protection of the world’s forests and their people.

A flotilla bringing Indigenous leaders and activists down rivers of the Amazon Basin to the conference was delayed and would not arrive until next week.

“The world, my friends, has never been changed by spectators and naysayers,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley told the summit.

“Do we need everybody acting at the same time? That would be ideal. But if we don’t, then we must construct a coalition of the willing and show everyone what they stand to benefit,” Mottley said.

Contributions began to roll in for Brazil’s flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a multilateral fund proposed to support global conservation of endangered forests.

Norway said it would contribute about $3 billion, France said it could contribute 500 million euros and others were expected to make pledges in the next few weeks.

Brazil’s finance minister said the fund was expected to meet an initial $10 billion target earlier than previously thought. Brazil expects these initial funds to bring in private cash that would help the fund meet a $125 billion target in three years.