The brain-rotting 6–7 meme is spreading across the internet, terrifying teachers and parents alike. It literally means nothing. Coincidentally, today and tomorrow, on 6-7 November, Heads of State will gather in Belém, Brazil at the COP30 Leaders Climate Action Summit to talk about saving the planet. Dubbed the “COP of truth,” this one needs to deliver far more than just being a mind numbing 6-7 moment.
What’s Happening
For starters, leaders from four of the world’s five biggest polluters, China, the United States, India, and Russia, are missing from the Leaders Summit. That could be bad news, but let’s face it: no one really wants Donald Trump showing up anyway.
At the same time, over 300 mayors met in Rio this week to discuss climate action at the municipal level, a space where real, tangible change often happens. Flood defences, urban heat planning, and sustainable transport systems are all decided in cities. This bottom-up leadership could prove more meaningful than the empty gestures often seen at the top.
Meanwhile, just days before the summit, EU environment ministers agreed on a new 2040 climate goal, a 90% emissions cut by 2040. A massive win. Though with heavy reliance on carbon credits, there’s concern that this target falls short of what the EU needs to do against the climate crisis. But let’s also not ignore that renewable energy is booming and carbon emissions are declining in the region.
Back in Belém, President Lula, hosting this COP in the heart of the Amazon, has called for global solidarity and protection of the rainforest, a powerful message from the world’s largest tropical forest. He reaffirmed Brazil’s pledge to achieve zero deforestation by 2030 and championed a “just energy transition.”
Alongside these pledges, on 4 October, Brazil also unveiled the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a proposed $125 billion fund developed with Indonesia and the DRC to reward countries for keeping their forests standing. It aims to generate $4 billion a year, with 20% directed to Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Adding to the momentum, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, known for his passionate calls for a global fossil fuel phase-out and for rethinking the economic systems driving the crisis, will also attend. In September, his government announced the first International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, set for April 2026, signalling Colombia’s intent to turn words into concrete global action.
COP30 Can Still Deliver
COP30 has two crucial weeks ahead. Leaders still have time to turn speeches into solutions that deliver justice, not delay. But they must finally confront the root causes of the crisis , and listen to those most affected by it.
To deliver genuine progress, they must recommit to 1.5, every fraction of a degree matters.
- Triple renewable energy capacity in ways that are fair, equitable, and accessible to all.
- Rapidly and equitably phase out fossil fuels to ensure a just transition ,not decades from now, but right now.
- Recognize that there is no climate justice without Indigenous and traditional leadership at the heart of decision-making.
The world can’t afford another 6-7 moment ,another round of wordplay while the planet burns. Now that the photo ops are over, it’s time for real work, real action, and real justice.