*By Marina Grossi
COP30 should go down in history for its collaborative spirit, inspired by the Conference Presidency's call for a global collective effort against climate change and also by the greater protagonism of non-state actors—businesses, cities, and subnational governments. For the productive sector, it is already clear that climate uncertainty represents a business risk. It was from this understanding, and responding to a direct request from Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, even before his appointment as President of COP30, that the vanguard of the Brazilian productive sector, led by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), structured coalitions to decarbonize strategic sectors of the economy—Transport, Energy, Agriculture, and Essential Minerals.
Together, the four coalitions have consolidated themselves as unprecedented spaces for collaboration, bringing together more than 260 entities, including companies, government, and civil society, in a joint and pre-competitive effort to build consensus aligned with science and Brazil's climate goals. Some of these solutions have already been incorporated into the National Climate Change Plan—such as the Transportation Coalition—and into the sectoral goals of the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM)—in the case of the Essential Minerals Coalition. These advances reinforce the spirit of collective effort and go further: they strengthen business leadership, boost innovation, position Brazil as a global reference in decarbonization, and demonstrate that cooperation and ambition can move forward together.
The first coalition, the Transport Coalition, was presented to the COP30 Presidency in February and, since then, has been present in more than 30 strategic spaces. It covered the road, rail, waterway, air, and urban mobility segments, with the participation of 121 companies and associations, under shared leadership with Motiva, the National Confederation of Transport (CNT), and the National Observatory of Sustainable Mobility of Insper. The study proposed 90 decarbonization levers that, when integrated, can position Brazil as a global leader in sustainable mobility.
Responsible for approximately 11% of national emissions, the sector demonstrated that measures such as large-scale fleet electrification, rebalancing the freight matrix with greater participation of rail and waterway transport, and expanding the use of biofuels can reduce projected emissions by up to 60% by 2050, attracting over R$ 600 billion in green investments. The study guided the development and improvement of the Sectoral Transport Plan, part of the Mitigation Axis of the National Climate Change Plan, with 10 actions distributed among the sectoral plans for Transport, Cities, and Energy.
Launched in October, the Electricity Sector Coalition brought together more than 70 entities active in distribution, generation, transmission, and consumption, with the goal of expanding energy supply, maintaining a predominantly clean Brazilian electricity matrix, and maximizing the potential of the electricity sector to decarbonize other sectors and countries. The sector already stands out globally, with 90% of electricity in Brazil coming from renewable sources (compared to a global average of 41%) and accounting for less than 2% of national emissions (compared to the global average of 30%).
The Coalition demonstrated that it is possible to reconcile a high level of renewability with sector expansion, bringing recommendations such as reducing current subsidies by 90%, electrifying transport and industries, and developing hybrid solutions for isolated regions, reducing dependence on diesel. The roadmap offers a clear path for Brazil to consolidate itself as a global hub for low-carbon products and services.
Strategic to Brazil's GDP, agriculture faces the challenge of increasing productivity with lower emissions. The Agriculture Coalition was created with the goal of strengthening the sector's competitiveness while simultaneously promoting the conservation of biomes and the transition to low-carbon production. The work stemmed from already established technologies, such as those foreseen in the ABC+ Plan, and the contributions of 43 participating entities—including Amaggi, Bayer, Citrosuco, Nestlé, Syngenta, and Tereos; academic institutions such as USP, Embrapa, FGV, and FDC; and with the participation of the COP30 Special Envoy for Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues.
The result was the mapping of 15 levers for regenerative and low-carbon agriculture. According to the study, 80% of all projected mitigation by 2050 will come from five solutions: no-till farming, use of cover crops, integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems (ICLF), expansion of fertile and well-managed pastures, and increased livestock productivity. This includes valuing rural producers as central agents, improving the regulatory environment, and expanding access to green finance instruments.
The fourth coalition, focused on Essential Minerals, was coordinated by CEBDS, Vale, and IBRAM, with the participation of 25 companies. The group analyzed three major areas of contribution from the sector to decarbonization:
- Reducing direct emissions from mining — with the potential to cut emissions by up to one-third by 2035, through the use of biofuels, fleet electrification, expansion of renewables, efficiency gains, and restoration of areas;
- Contribution to decarbonizing the global iron supply chain, with Brazil acting as a supplier of low-carbon inputs;
- Expansion of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, niobium, and rare earths, fundamental for the energy transition.
The Coalition's contributions helped structure the five sectoral commitments already announced by the mining industry for the 2030-2050 period, covering decarbonization, energy, biodiversity, water, and climate adaptation targets.
In addition to already influencing public policies, the inputs generated by the coalitions should guide a large part of the discussions on the Action Agenda throughout COP30. The coalitions show that strategic sectors can work together, with unprecedented transparency and convergence, to offer practical solutions aligned with climate goals and the ambition of 1.5°C. More than studies and reports, the coalitions create an innovative movement of collaboration that can — and should — be replicated globally, leaving a legacy that goes beyond Belém.
Marina Grossi is the president of CEBDS, an organization with 28 years of experience and 120 large member companies, and the Special Envoy of the COP30 Presidency for the Business Sector.
