By Levison Wood

This was my fourth visit to Brazil – a land of striking contrasts, where lush rainforests and pristine beaches meet sprawling cities, riverside villages and Indigenous communities, all woven together from cultures across the globe.

Yet amid the beauty, Brazil stands on the frontline of climate change, and its 50 million children live that reality daily, their futures at risk.

COP30 in Belém, in the beating heart of the Amazon, one of the planet’s great climate stabilisers, carried a weight few past summits could match.

For me, it was a stark reminder that protecting wildlife and forests are essential to safeguarding future generations – and, as a UNICEF UK Ambassador, it’s clear that children themselves need a seat at the table.

Each year, COP faces growing cynicism – seen by some as no longer a catalyst for real change, while the cautious optimism of the Paris Agreement, the landmark treaty designed to avoid the worst climate impacts, feels like a distant memory.

But with over 1 billion children living at extreme risk of climate change worldwide, threatening........

© LBC