France leads $2.5 billion push to protect Congo’s forest as climate summit urges action

World leaders meeting in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest renewed calls for urgent climate action, as France announced a new $2.5 billion initiative to protect the Congo Basin forest, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest. The pledge comes as Brazil revealed it has already secured $5.5 billion for its new fund aimed at paying developing nations to preserve forests.

The gathering, part of the U.N.’s annual climate summit, seeks to transform global climate commitments into concrete action — from reducing emissions to protecting vital ecosystems. But the absence of leaders from the world’s top polluting nations, including China, the United States and India, cast a shadow over the talks.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric criticized global climate denialism, saying:

“These are times when voices emerge that choose to ignore or deny the scientific evidence about the climate crisis. Just recently, the President of the United States… said that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is a lie. We must be able to uphold the value of science and facts.”

Brazil hopes its flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility will incentivize 74 forest-rich nations to keep their trees standing, backed by financing from wealthy countries and private investors. President Lula da Silva said the mechanism is expected to become a key outcome of the summit.

While contributions so far include Norway, Indonesia and others, it remains uncertain whether major global powers will commit significant funding — a factor seen as crucial to turning ambitious pledges into meaningful climate progress.