BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- "I call on countries to fulfill their commitments. This means formulating and implementing ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions," Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday.

Climate change is no longer a future threat but a present-day tragedy, the Brazilian leader said at the opening of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Belem, in the Brazilian state of Para.

Noting that the rise in global temperatures spreads pain and suffering, Lula said holding the conference in the heart of the Amazon was an arduous but necessary task.

"I urge world leaders to accelerate climate action. We need the roadmap so that humanity, in a fair and planned manner, can overcome its dependence on fossil fuels, reverse deforestation, and mobilize resources for this purpose ... so words are translated into actions," he said.

He also called on the international community to put people at the center of the climate agenda. Global warming could push millions of people into hunger and poverty, setting back decades of progress, he said.

A just transition must help reduce the asymmetries between the Global North and South, which have been forged over centuries of emissions, said the Brazilian leader.