California aims to build on its reputation as a global climate leader at this year's COP conference in Belém, Brazil.

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — World leaders warned Thursday that time is running short for urgent and decisive action to prevent the worst effects of climate change, and blasted the United States for its retreat from those efforts, as they gathered at the edge of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for the annual United Nations climate summit.

World leaders pose for a family photo on Friday in the second day of COP30 U.N. Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil. A major proposal to protect forests worldwide is sure to a major topic of discussion of the day.

World leaders who descended on the United Nations annual climate summit in Brazil on Thursday only needed to look out their airplane windows to sense the unfathomable stakes. Surrounding the coastal city of Belem is an emerald green carpet festooned with winding rivers.

This marks the first time the Democratic governor and likely presidential contender will attend the summit, which begins Nov. 10.

Organizers are hoping this year's Conference of Parties — known as COP30 — will yield action to advance the many unmet promises laid out at previous such meetings. But the leaders of China, the United States and India will be notably absent from a gathering of heads of state over the next two days.

Earlier this year, the Indian government announced that it has achieved its target of mixing 20% of ethanol—considered a relatively cleaner fuel—with petrol or gasoline five years ahead of schedule.

In the midst of the ongoing government shutdown, a number of Democrat governors, mayors and other officials are flying to Brazil climate change convenings in Brazil. Founder and executive director of Power the Future Daniel Turner told: “Calling the shutdown a ‘disaster’ and then jetting to Brazil is politics at its phoniest.