“Thank you – obrigado – Gilberto. What a wonderful welcome you’ve all given us. Brazilian hospitality is famous worldwide. Now we know why. You make us eager to come back for the World Cup in 2014. You’ve already made this stay in São Paulo a memorable one.

“My colleagues and I in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group are looking forward to every minute that we’re in São Paulo and in this dynamic nation of Brazil, that has now taken its rightful place as a world economic and diplomatic leader. And we’re delighted that you’ve chosen this marvelous theater, a work of one of the world’s most gifted and original architects, the incomparable Oscar Niemeyer, as the site of the first formal event of our summit.

“To those who have come here from distant cities: thank you for making this journey. The truth is that, in spite of the miracles of 21st Century communication, when there’s work to do, there often remains no substitute for seeing and meeting one another, face-to-face, even if it does require long international travel. I promise you: you will be glad that you came.