Belem, Brazil — With a direct letter sent to nations and a draft text released Tuesday, host country Brazil is shifting the U.N. climate conference into a higher gear.

The letter sent late Monday comes during the final week of the first climate summit in the Amazon rainforest, a key regulator of climate because trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that warms the planet. COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago later released a proposal with 21 options for negotiators to choose from on four sticky and interrelated issues.

“It's text Tuesday and we’re sort of off to the races,’’ said World Resources Institute's David Waskow, who said the nine-page proposal “addresses some of the core questions that have been part of the presidency consultations.’’

The four key political issues are

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