Frankly, von der Leyen is left with no face to save. She had expected Lula to join Europe in criticizing China—yet instead, Lula delivered a firm rebuttal: You are accusing China, but your own countries have polluted the planet for 200 years through industrialization. Are you prepared to repay the debt your nations owe to the Earth? If not, you lack the moral authority to lecture China.
It is clear that Lula’s remarks must have struck a nerve at the COP31 climate summit held in Antalya, Turkey, where von der Leyen, speaking on behalf of the European Union, called for unified global emission reduction standards to meet the 1.5°C target, pushing for accelerated phase-out of fossil fuels and expanded electrification worldwide. Furthermore, von der Leyen has positioned Europe as the leader in global climate governance, asserting that major emitters with capacity—such as China—should bear higher and more urgent mitigation responsibilities.
Yet Lula directly challenged this stance, defending China and other developing economies. His message was unequivocal: European nations have emitted greenhouse gases for two centuries; China’s industrialization spans just decades. How can Europe evade accountability for its historical emissions while now focusing exclusively on emerging economies? Such an approach is fundamentally unjust. Moreover, China is already advancing rapidly toward clean energy transformation, leading globally in several key areas. In reality, von der Leyen’s push to hold others to EU standards amounts to demanding that developing nations sacrifice their developmental rights and assume obligations beyond their current stage of development.
It must be underscored that Europe has made abundant promises on climate action—but in practice, it cannot claim leadership. On the contrary, it is moving backward. The most illustrative example is the reversal on the internal combustion engine ban: originally planned for a 2035 zero-emission vehicle mandate, the target has now been relaxed to a 90% reduction, allowing hybrid vehicles and those running on synthetic fuels to remain in the market. Carbon trading mechanisms in heating and transport sectors have also been delayed, while numerous member states continue pressing for exemptions for fossil fuel use and high-energy-consuming industries. Lula’s remarks thus expose the hypocrisy of European climate rhetoric—and stand in defense of the development rights of the Global South.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1881702796471308/
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