Philippines — Super typhoons and flooding | Southeast Asia

In 2025, the Philippines endured another punishing typhoon season as warmer ocean waters intensified storms across the western Pacific. Several super typhoons made landfall within months, unleashing torrential rains, storm surges and widespread flooding. Coastal and low-lying communities were repeatedly displaced, while damage to crops, homes and transport networks accumulated with each successive storm. Authorities warned that recovery time between disasters is shrinking, leaving millions more exposed. Climate scientists continue to link the growing intensity of typhoons to rising sea surface temperatures driven by global warming.

Mexico — Floods and landslides | Latin America

Severe flooding and landslides struck parts of Mexico in late 2025 after days of relentless rainfall overwhelmed rivers and hillsides. Entire neighbourhoods were submerged as infrastructure collapsed, particularly in regions already affected by deforestation and rapid urban expansion. Emergency services struggled to reach isolated communities as roads and bridges were washed away. The disaster once again highlighted how climate change is amplifying rainfall extremes across Latin America. For many vulnerable communities, the impacts were worsened by long-standing social and economic inequalities.

Nigeria — Flash floods | West Africa

In late May, torrential rains along the Kaduna River triggered devastating flash floods in Nigeria’s Niger State. Villages around Mokwa and Minna were inundated within minutes, killing at least 151 people and displacing thousands more. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, while farmland and transport links were severely damaged. Beyond the immediate death toll, the floods wiped out crops during a critical agricultural period, threatening local food supplies. Relief agencies described the disaster as one of the worst flooding events Nigeria has seen in decades.

Nepal — Glacial lake outburst flood | South Asia

A sudden glacial lake outburst on the Nepal–China border in July sent a wall of water down the Bhote Koshi river, devastating border communities. The flood destroyed major bridges and hydropower facilities, killing dozens and leaving others missing on both sides of the frontier. Nearly eight per cent of Nepal’s electricity generation capacity was knocked offline overnight. Scientists pointed to accelerating glacial melt in the Himalayas as a key driver of the disaster. The event underscored the growing risks climate change poses to high-mountain regions.

India — Monsoon floods and landslides | South Asia

India’s northeastern states faced deadly floods and landslides in June as unusually intense monsoon rains overwhelmed rivers and unstable terrain. Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya were among the worst affected, with dozens killed and thousands forced into shelters. Entire districts were cut off as roads collapsed and communication lines failed. While monsoons are a seasonal reality, experts warned that climate change is making rainfall more erratic and destructive. The disaster exposed the fragile infrastructure of one of India’s most climate-vulnerable regions.

South Africa — Unseasonal flooding | Southern Africa

In May, heavy rainfall from an unseasonal cold-front system triggered deadly flooding in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Rivers burst their banks, sweeping away homes, schools and vehicles. At least 49 people were killed, including schoolchildren whose bus was caught in floodwaters near Mthatha. Authorities declared a national disaster as emergency crews struggled to reach submerged communities. Climate specialists noted that shifting weather patterns are making extreme rainfall events more frequent, even outside traditional wet seasons.

Brazil — Wildfires in the Amazon | South America

The Amazon basin experienced a surge in wildfires during 2025 as prolonged drought and record temperatures dried out vast stretches of rainforest. Fires spread rapidly across Brazil ’s northern states, destroying ecosystems, displacing Indigenous communities and releasing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Smoke from the blazes darkened skies hundreds of kilometres away, triggering health warnings in major cities. Scientists warned that climate change, combined with deforestation, is pushing the rainforest closer to a tipping point. The fires reinforced fears that the Amazon is losing its ability to act as a global carbon sink.

Argentina and Chile — Drought-driven fires | South America

Across the Southern Cone, extended drought conditions fuelled one of the most severe wildfire seasons in recent years. In Argentina and Chile, parched grasslands and forests ignited easily, allowing fires to spread across millions of hectares. Rural communities were forced to evacuate as livestock, crops and infrastructure were destroyed. Air pollution from the fires also affected urban centres, compounding public health risks. Climate change has lengthened fire seasons in the region, leaving authorities struggling to keep pace.

Horn of Africa — Drought and hunger | East Africa

In the Horn of Africa, prolonged drought conditions continued to drive severe food insecurity throughout 2025. Successive failed rainy seasons in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya devastated harvests and livestock, eroding livelihoods across rural areas. Millions faced crisis-level hunger as water sources dried up and food prices surged. While not always officially declared as a famine, humanitarian agencies warned that conditions resembled past hunger emergencies. Climate change has intensified drought cycles in the region, magnifying the risks for already vulnerable populations.

Southern Africa — Crop failures and food stress | Southern Africa

Large parts of Southern Africa entered 2025 grappling with the aftershocks of drought and extreme heat that reduced crop yields and strained water supplies. Countries such as Zambia and Malawi reported poor maize harvests, pushing more households towards food assistance. Climate-driven heat stress disrupted planting cycles and reduced agricultural productivity. As rural incomes fell, food insecurity deepened across the region. The crisis illustrated how climate change can quietly undermine food systems long before famine is officially declared.

Romulo Batista, coordinator of Greenpeace Brazil’s Forest Solutions project, used the moment to issue one of the summit’s clearest demands. “Another extremely important point is our demand directed at polluters. They must pay the bill for climate change and, in particular, ensure the just energy transition of developing countries, so they do not have to go through a high-carbon economy to develop,” he said.

For Greenpeace, holding major emitters financially accountable is essential to prevent poorer nations from repeating the carbon-heavy development paths of richer countries.

COP30 itself has centred on protecting the Amazon and accelerating global climate action, particularly in regions most exposed to environmental degradation. Greenpeace’s intervention underscored a broader concern shared by many at the summit: that without binding commitments forcing the world ’s biggest polluters to pay for the damage they have caused, the promise of a just transition will remain out of reach.

Her words reflect a growing frustration among Indigenous and Global South leaders who argue that the energy transition and climate financing remain designed for the interests of the world ’s richest nations.

Pedro Zapata, consultant for the Chile Project at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, echoed this concern, highlighting the need for a truly inclusive transition. “We hope that this energy transition will be positive for the Global North but also for us in the South, as long as we can also see its benefits. And as has been said many times, this transition must include everyone and leave no one behind, especially the countries that are producers and also feel responsible for this energy transition.”

As negotiations continue, voices like theirs remind global leaders that climate action cannot be measured solely in investments or carbon credits, but in the protection of water, land, and life itself.

Addressing the role of powerful nations in climate debates, Boric directly criticised former US President Donald Trump for denying the existence of the climate crisis. In his speech, Boric stated: "These are times when voices arise that choose to ignore or deny the scientific evidence about the climate crisis. Not long ago, the President of the United States, at the last UN General Assembly, said that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is a lie."

Boric also drew attention to the disproportionate effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, including women, indigenous groups, and local communities, particularly in the Global South. He emphasised that addressing climate change requires acknowledging these inequalities and ensuring that solutions are inclusive and just.

The event, hosted in the Amazon, underscores the global significance of preserving critical ecosystems while addressing climate change. Countries from the Global South have consistently called on the Global North to take responsibility for historical emissions and to commit to tangible measures that mitigate ongoing climate impacts worldwide.

COP30 runs from November 10 to 21, offering a platform for nations to advance dialogue, forge commitments, and confront the climate emergency with renewed international solidarity.

Lula questioned how a global leader could still deny climate change, noting Trump’s previous remarks at the UN calling it a “hoax” and the United States ’ renewed withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Washington has also confirmed it will not send any high-level federal representatives to COP30.

“How are we doing with this story that there is a president in the world who doesn’t believe the climate is changing?” Lula asked, warning that rising temperatures and melting glaciers threaten to raise sea levels and endanger millions of lives.

The Brazilian leader toured the settlement, meeting local forest workers and emphasising that the legacy of COP30 should directly benefit Amazonian communities. “After the COP is over, everything done on behalf of it must remain for the people of Pará and Belém,” he said.

Set to take place in Belém from November 10 to 21, 2025, COP30 will mark the first time the global climate summit is held in the Amazon region. Ahead of the conference, Brazil announced the creation of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a $125 billion initiative designed to reward tropical countries for conserving their forests, with implementation expected to begin in 2026.

“We are here at the port of Santarem, at this exact moment, about to depart for Belem, to COP30. We are participating in a caravan with the peoples of the territory. The importance of this is surreal, because people are joining forces, connecting with others who already live the reality of the territories,” said Silvia Rocha, a Brazilian activist.

During the voyage, participants discussed strategies to present their local struggles and environmental challenges to world leaders. They see their participation as an opportunity to push for genuine representation and stronger climate financing commitments.

The caravan’s arrival in Belém marks a symbolic moment for civil society . With COP30 expected to bring together 60,000 participants from more than 160 countries between November 10 and 21, the Amazon’s residents are determined to make their voices central to the global climate conversation.

“No one can lecture Brazil about climate issues,” he told the audience. “We are not the owners of the truth. We don’t know everything, and we can’t do everything. But there is no one, no one doing more than we are, with the dedication we’re putting in.”

Lula praised the leadership of young Brazilians in the environmental movement after receiving a letter from participants outlining proposals for climate action. Calling their activism a "small revolution," he pledged to personally deliver the letter to every world leader attending COP30 in November.

The upcoming COP30 summit, set for November in Belém, will be the first time Brazil hosts a UN climate conference. The Lula administration is expected to centre its message around Amazon preservation and South-South cooperation.