The opportunity to host COP-30 is unique, with the potential to legitimize Brazil's leadership in the debate on environmental issues
The geopolitical tensions that were so present throughout 2024 are expected to continue to be challenges in 2025. International conflicts continue to claim victims, generate economic impacts and signal that the global security order is too fragmented to negotiate peace. Globalization is facing its setbacks, with the shrinking international trade in goods, cracks in global supply chains, growing political polarization, and the widespread feeling that multilateralism and its values are losing their effectiveness.
The election and return to the White House of the Republican Donald Trump, in the United States, further fuels this perception and, in the climate sphere, there was again the breakup with the Paris Agreement. In his previous administration, Trump withdrew the country from the Treaty and eliminated climate policies adopted by his predecessor, Barack Obama. His second term has already begun along the same lines. The news of Trump's election tainted the negotiations during COP-29, held in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a certain pessimism. Despite this, the conference brought important results, such as the approval of articles that should boost the global carbon market, and a figure, albeit insufficient, of climate finance for developing countries – US$$ 300 billion/year.
A breath of fresh air came from the encounter with G-20, held in Rio, which made progress on important points for the sustainable development agenda, such as combating poverty and redesigning global governance. In the environmental sphere, as the group's president, Brazil advocated the engagement of nations to raise the level of ambition of the next round of NDCs, which are the countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement, in order to pursue the goal of limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5ºC. The countries' new NDCs will be the subject of discussion at the COP-30, in Belém, in 2025.
Historic from the start, COP-30 will draw the world's attention to Brazil, Amazon, its biodiversity and for the peoples of the forest. The holding of a UN climate change conference rekindles the belief in a definitive awakening to the climate emergency. As president of COP-30, Brazil will have the primacy of leading countries towards a robust final document that definitively puts the world on the path to a carbon-neutral economy with social inclusion. We know, however, that it will be filled with difficult debates, such as the continuation of the discussion on the financing needed for developing countries to conduct their energy transition, adaptation to the extreme events that are already occurring and climate justice.
The conversation about money, a crucial point at the COPs, will require a revival of international cooperation, bilateralism and multilateralism in order to find innovative and plausible solutions to address the climate crisis. It will no longer be possible to rely solely on concessionary resources, so it is necessary to develop financial instruments based on blended finance, with a combination of private and philanthropic capital in order to generate a positive impact, with transparency and good governance.
The Brazilian business sector is aware of this movement and is already mobilizing to strengthen dialogue with the Brazilian government, the governors of the Legal Amazon and global business entities to build a bold path, worthy of the task of holding COP-30. There are still countless challenges to be overcome – social, logistical, infrastructure and connectivity – but the opportunity to host COP-30 is unique, with the potential to definitively legitimize Brazil's leadership in the debate on environmental issues. As the most megadiverse country in the world, home to almost 60% of the Amazon rainforest and other important biomes, we have the authority to guide the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises and lead by example. Hope for a new era has a color – and that color is the green of the Amazon.
