Belém – With only some remaining days for negotiations in COP30, scientists have intensified their demands for leaders and have drawn attention in the opening plenary session that marked the arrivals of ministers in the second and last week of the UN’s great climate conference.

The scientific pavilion group gathers some of the most renowned specialists, who formed a line in the entrance area for the plenary, papers in hand: a new document, delivered to Brazilian vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, calls for a “clear schedule” to transition gradually from fossil fuels and to protect rainforests.

Their demands are urgent: the Amazon rainforest and tropical coral reefs – the two most diverse biomes in the world – are under unacceptable pressure and close to the point of no return.

The pressure comes from the frustration of the last few days: the scientific pavilion remains virtually devoid of negotiators, while deals were happening left and right in the Blue Zone’s restricted rooms.

The space led by the renowned Johan Rockström, chair of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Carlos Nobre, climatologist and co-president of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon, is the first to connect climate change to science in a COP conference.

Last Friday the 14^th, the plea had already been made more bluntly: “negotiators, come to us”, together with the alert that the carbon budget to halt global warming at 1,5°Cestablished by the Paris Agreement expires in just 4 years.

According to Nobre, the mission is to bring science to the center of negotiations and make clear what is happening so that there is a drastic reduction in emissions.

The new document highlights: “We ask delegation chiefs to deliver a clear schedule to eliminate fossil fuels gradually”.

To EXAME, the Brazilian scientist was clear: “We hope that negotiators understand: this COP needs to be the most important one, to seek every solution”, he says.

Rockström highlighted the fear that negotiators don’t understand what recent science says.

“There is an acceleration of ongoing global warming as the planet loses its resilience and capacity to cushion risks”, he affirmed.

Data justify the urgency: 2025 registered the highest-ever emissions of greenhouse gases, with a 1,1% increase over 2024. From total global emissions, 70% come from fossil fuels.

Brazilian Climate Champion for COP30, Dan Ioschpe, recognizes the centrality of science for the success of negotiations.

“The action agenda is based on science, so we have the privilege to have this space with some of the greatest scientists in the world”, he affirmed to EXAME. According to the executive, part of his effort is to make the best use of this pavilion for implementation.

“This active and propositional involvement is what will make us go forward in a better way”, said Ioschpe, highlighting that the action agenda talks with the negotiation one, but that it is still necessary to accelerate existing solutions such as renewable energy and recovery of degraded areas.

“We can make this transition based on science, technology, and financial influx. It is an effort that has to be collective; this is the spirit of the cause.”

The alert, however, is obvious: “If progress is not based on science, we will have problems.”

The Amazon and coral reefs at the limit

Two ecosystems are highlighted in the document. Over the past two years, the Amazon has experienced one of the worst droughts on record—an event that science attributes to human-induced climate change, making it 30 times more likely.

The forest also recorded the highest number of fires in almost two decades: more than 140,000 fires, burning millions of hectares, releasing vast amounts of carbon, and seriously affecting the health of populations.

“The combined pressure of fossil fuel emissions and deforestation is pushing the Amazon toward irreversible changes,” the material states. “When the forest degrades and large areas cease to absorb carbon and become sources of emissions, the entire planet will feel the impact.”

In the ocean, the situation is no less serious. Tropical coral reefs, home to a third of all marine life, are close to reaching a point of no return with catastrophic cascading effects.

Ocean warming and acidification, driven by emissions, have already destroyed between 30% and 50% of the planet's reefs. In the last three years alone, more than 80% have suffered severe bleaching, weakening the foundations of life for countless coastal communities that depend on them for food and livelihoods.

Science must be at the heart of political decisions

The second report submitted to negotiators seeks to highlight “the risk the planet is facing and the urgency we have to save it.”

“We can no longer accept this; we need to reduce emissions significantly,” said Nobre.

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, current president of the Planetary Guardians organization, emphasized that the document goes beyond political debate. “This is not about opinions or mere speculation,” he said. “These are statements resulting from what scientists have been saying and writing for so long.”

According to him, the group hopes to reduce the “gap” between science and politics so that science prevails. “Science holds the truth,” he said.

When asked if the absence of US President Donald Trump could interfere with the results of COP30, Santos was emphatic: “If the President of the United States does not want to join this cause, that is his problem. The rest of the world cannot wait for the US to make a decision, whatever it may be. We all want to commit to moving forward because it is the future of us all.”