The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, harshly criticized the Prime Minister of Germany, Friedrich Merz, after the chancellor stated that German journalists who attended COP30 in the city’s Belém.
On social media, Paes called Merz “Hitler’s puppy” and “Nazi”, expanding the tension caused by the statements made during a German trade event.
Merz’s speech, in which he disparagingly compares Brazil to Germany, resonated with Brazilian authorities. The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, classified it and said it was “curious to see those who helped warm the planet find the heat of the Amazon strange.”
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The mayor of Belém, Igor Normando, also mocked the chancellor’s comment.
Decisive phase
Amid the diplomatic episode, COP30 reaches its ninth day of debates this Tuesday (18), considered one of the most important of the conference. The discussions on this day include central themes for the final agreement: Forests, Oceans, Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities.
Brazil is expected to publish today the draft of a decision on four points that were left off the official agenda, but remain the main obstacles to negotiations: public climate financing; more ambitious emissions reduction targets; taxation of products considered unsustainable; and biennial transparency reports.
Negotiations continue until the end of the week, in search of commitments that reflect the central role of the Amazon in global goals for reducing emissions and climate adaptation.
