Under the formal leadership of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with key support from the COP30 Presidency, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the UNFCCC, the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES) elevates the moral, ethical, philosophical, and cultural dimensions of the climate crisis with a broader invitation to civil society.

As part of this initiative, six regional dialogues will take place around the world—in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Each dialogue will gather diverse voices—including youth, elders, Indigenous leaders, artists, philosophers, scientists, and faith representatives—to reflect on the deeper values that should guide climate action.

 These dialogues will help shape a global moral framework for COP30 in Brazil in November 2025, complementing the technical and policy-driven pathways outlined in the Paris Agreement.

I was invited as a poet to attend, listen intently, and create a poem that reflects the wisdom garnered in the 6th and final conversation in NYC, where 20 high-impact civil representatives from Mexico, Greenland, Canada, and the US will be in conversation. Some of the attendees will include the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, Author and environmentalist Robin Wall Kimmerer, David Suzuki, Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist, and others.

What I create will be part of an immersive exhibition in the COP30 Blue Zone, in Belem, Brazil, the primary venue for official negotiations, the Leaders' Summit, and national pavilions, accessible to official delegations, heads of state, accredited observers, and media.