The devastating cyclone that hit France’s Mayotte archipelago underscores the need to “intensify efforts” to tackle climate change, the government of Brazil, which will host next year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), said today.

“The Brazilian government learned, with pain, of the devastation caused by Cyclone Shinto in Mayotte,” the foreign ministry of Latin America’s largest country said in a statement.

“In expressing its condolences to the families of the victims, Brazil expresses its solidarity with the people of Mayotte and the French government,” the statement added.

French authorities fear the death toll could rise to “several hundreds” or even “a few thousand” after the cyclone passed through Mayotte, the most destructive in 90 years.

“At this moment of sadness, Brazil calls on partners to redouble efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change, to address the proliferation of extreme natural phenomena,” Brasilia’s statement said.

The huge South American country has almost 60% of the Amazon forest, which plays a fundamental role in absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that causes the greenhouse effect.

Brazil itself has been hit hard by extreme weather this year, with forest fires fueled by an unprecedented drought in several parts of the country and devastating floods in April and May in the south.

In November, the government of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva announced that it had revised upwards its targets for reducing CO2 emissions.

The UN Climate Conference (COP30) will be held in November 2025 in Belém, a city in the Amazon, in northern Brazil.