By Marina Grossi*
With Belém at the center of global attention, COP30 made history by placing people at the heart of the discussions. Popular participation resonated beyond the corridors of the Blue and Green Zones, reaching the streets after three climate conferences with restricted demonstrations. The Action Agenda — which mobilizes voluntary initiatives from civil society, businesses, subnational governments, and investors — also gained significant prominence, especially with the launch of acceleration plans.
The Paris Agreement, the main international treaty in force to address the climate crisis, celebrated its first decade during COP30. The Conference was marked by the announcement of a new round of NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) until 2035. These commitments must be ambitious enough to keep the global goal in sight: limiting the increase in average temperature to below 2°C, with efforts to not exceed 1.5°C — a limit considered safer by science.
However, COP30 began with the acknowledgment that humanity has already surpassed this threshold, albeit temporarily. In his opening speech at the Leaders' Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that "the hard truth is that we have failed to ensure that we remain below 1.5°C," and urged countries to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, responsible for more than 701 Tbp of global emissions. He further warned that "each year above 1.5°C will hit economies, deepen inequalities and cause irreversible damage," especially to developing countries. This set the tone for the so-called "COP of implementation.".
Throughout the Conference, approximately 120 of the 198 countries of the Climate Convention submitted their new NDCs. The COP30 Presidency also innovated by expanding dialogue with various sectors through thematic and regional Special Envoys. As Special Envoy for the Business Sector, I worked alongside companies to provide the COP Presidency and the Brazilian government with technical and strategic input focused on the decarbonization of key sectors of the economy.
In this context, business coalitions, led by CEBDS, stand out by structuring the productive sector's contribution to the transition towards a low-carbon economy. Bringing together more than 270 entities—including companies, associations, academia, and government—the four Transport, Energy, Agriculture, and Essential Minerals Coalitions demonstrate that it is possible to build technical consensus and practical solutions to key challenges of national decarbonization. They mobilize actions ranging from promoting sustainable mobility and expanding clean energy to advances in low-carbon agriculture and the supply of minerals critical to the global energy transition.
By directly contributing to government plans such as the Climate Plan and the Ecological Transformation Plan, and by influencing sectoral strategies, these coalitions demonstrate the strength of a collaborative, pre-competitive, and science-driven approach. This joint work reinforces Brazilian business leadership on the climate agenda, positions the country as a global benchmark in decarbonization, and leaves a legacy that extends beyond Belém—a model of cooperation that can inspire other countries to adopt similar structures.
* Marina Grossi is president of CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), an organization with 28 years of experience and 120 large associated companies, Special Envoy of the COP30 Presidency for the Business Sector
