The brief, yet impactful, visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) to the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, was overshadowed by controversy. After a ten-hour flight on the government's Airbus A350 for a fleeting 21-hour stay, Merz drew local criticism by making a comparison deemed "outrageous" in Brazil. The incident centered on his remarks about the stark poverty in Belém, where he noted the disparity between the rich having air conditioning and the poor suffering from heat stress, suggesting the Amazonian city was "no place one wants to live," reports The WP Times with reference to Focus.
Despite the furor over his comments, Merz's official message to the global delegates was sobering. He characterized the current trajectory of global warming—which is trending far above the two-degree target—as a "moral failure and deadly negligence." The Chancellor stressed that Germany's efforts to achieve climate neutrality alone would be futile, emphasizing that the global crisis requires global solutions driven by economic power and innovation.
The delegation also faced questions regarding Germany's financial contribution to the climate fund. While Merz affirmed that Germany would certainly contribute, the concrete financial commitment remains pending, with a decision expected only at the end of November. In a sharp critique of the visit, Green Party Chairman Felix Banaszak claimed Merz had arrived in Belém with "empty suitcases." The controversial nature of Merz's remarks about the host city prompted Brazil's Environment Minister to pointedly assert that achieving social justice is an indispensable prerequisite for international climate protection efforts.
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