​

International experts from the Brazilian government and civil society gathered together to discuss the topic “COPs: Lessons, Legacies and Expectations for COP30.” Held in Brasília, on November 9, 2023, the 24th edition of the Sustainable Future Dialogues, which is a partnership between the Institute for Climate and Society (iCS) and the German Embassy, ​​debated issues related to the sense of urgency in Brazil's preparation to host, in 2025, the main annual global conference on climate change. The discussions covered the climate agenda, practical and political aspects that contribute to the holding of UNFCCC conferences, and Brazil's presidency of the G20, among other aspects.

 

The speakers also highlighted the legacy to be left for the local community, Brazil and the world as being fundamental to Brazil's presidency at COP30. It was also emphasized in the panels that COP30 needs to present Brazilian solutions and that, in order to achieve this, broad engagement with the private sector and civil society must be guaranteed in preparation for 2025. To access the full event, click here.

 

During the opening, the executive-director of iCS, Maria Netto, highlighted the importance of multilateralism in order to advance global agendas urgently, such as climate change. Maria Netto outlined a global panorama, full of challenges: a multilateral crisis and economic and societal fragmentation, with wars and difficulties in reaching agreements and consensus. For her, the results of the Global Stocktake of the UNFCCC, used to monitor the implementation of the commitments of the Paris Agreement, show that the world is not progressing, for example, with the reduction of emissions, the goals of all the countries and climate financing. She recalled the economic and social cost of the impacts of climate change.

 

“It is an exponential increase. Brazil, for example, does not experience that many disasters, so frequently and intensely, and yet we are now seeing the drought in the Amazon and the rains in the south of Brazil having a catastrophic effect. It happened in São Sebastião, in Bahia. And this will not stop,” said Maria Netto.

 

The director of the iCS reported that the current expectation for COP28, in Dubai, is not one of great advances, but that a positive message is hoped for. For her, with the gap in relation to COP29, which still has no defined location, Brazil's responsibility increases with COP30, which is scheduled to be hosted in Belém.

 

“iCS also has this role, speaking of multilateralism, of not only ensuring and promoting a global consensus, but also ensuring that society can participate in the dialogue. We have two years to prepare for COP30, and the participation of civil society is very important,” she concluded.

 

Also at the opening of the meeting, the minister for Economic Affairs and Global Themes at the German Embassy, ​​Holger Rapior, highlighted the partnership between his country and Brazil with the objective of making climate protection a crucial element of a green and just transformation of the two economies: “Germany and Brazil, in relation to global climate protection can, especially in times when wars and violence are once again determining the geopolitical agenda, build bridges and transpose divergent coalitions.”

 

Rapior also stated that COP30 is an enormous opportunity to draw attention to the importance of Brazil, especially the Amazon, for global climate protection.

 

“We are currently looking at the Amazon, with its dry riverbeds, the deaths of dolphins and fish, and the clouds of smoke over Manaus. We can see clearly what it means to destroy the foundations of our existence,” he said. He added that it will only be by acting quickly that it will be possible to avoid the worst and achieve the objective of limiting the increase in the earth’s temperature to 1.5 °C. “Climate protection and prosperity are not a paradox. They must go hand in hand.”

 

The advisor for Environmental Affairs at the German Embassy, ​​Friederike Daniel, said that she was hopeful for the meeting in 2025. She described the COP30 agenda as “ambitious,” and hopes that the conference takes advantage of the Brazilian space for debate. “The German embassy has had a very good partnership with iCS for years. I hope that the German side can contribute to this new phase of Brazil. I see a lot of wealth from different groups and from the Amazon region and I am confident that it will work,” said Friederike.

 

'The political meaning of being the president of a COP'

 

Afterwards, the panel “The political meaning of being the president of a COP,” mediated by the director of Partnerships and Communication at iCS, Alice Amorim, was attended by the secretary of the Climate, Energy and Environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, André Corrêa do Lago; the former deputy director-general for European Policy and International Climate Policy of the German government, Karsten Sach, who has participated since the first COP; the head of Politics at Germanwatch, Lutz Weischer; and the senior lecturer in International Relations at Cardiff University, Jennifer Allan. The panel opened with a message from the German government's special envoy for international climate policy, Jennifer Morgan.

 

In her contribution, Jennifer Allan addressed the fact that the COPs have changed over the years, opening up more space for civil society, with people demanding climate justice and introducing proposals, in addition to the formal discussions.

 

“Increasingly, the COPs are becoming an enormous meeting place. International organizations, enterprises, businesses and civil societies show what they are doing. We have several events with sometimes very difficult negotiations. Trying to find solutions and new problems to be discussed. It is a multifaceted space,” she exemplified, remembering that many “voices are lost” at the COPs and that the challenge of this space is to increase equity.

 

For the ambassador, André Corrêa do Lago, although there is often a feeling of frustration in relation to the results of the COPs, it is thanks to the negotiations at the conferences that the entire world is now attentive and aware of how much climate change is affecting everyone. He recalled that one of the first obligations of the COP was for countries to have data about themselves and their own emissions, which led to significant advances in science, in climate solutions and resulted in new technologies.

 

Corrêa do Lago stated that Brazil is already working towards COP30 and will be able to contribute to the return of confidence in the next two years so that it is possible to have more ambitious conferences and commitments that allow for more significant advances. He highlighted that the country played a significant role in emblematic moments such as Rio 92, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

 

“The work for COP30 has already started. We will be extremely active at COP28. Not only in speech, but also in action and in negotiation and, in relation to COP29, we already have a very clear agenda: we have to be able to structure a new financial architecture. Countries clearly do not believe they will have the resources to undertake large projects to reduce emissions. We have to ensure that these resources are available and, finally, at COP30, we want conditions so that there is a significant amount of ambition in the new numbers that the countries will present,” stated the ambassador.

 

Karsten Sach began his participation by making an analogy between the COPs and the World Cup. “Brazil will play an important role in the COP as it does in the soccer World Cup. And, still using the comparison, it is important that civil society supports the COP as it supports the World Cup,” he said. He stressed that it is the role of the presidency of the COP, among others, to prepare, consult, build consensus, trust and bridges, to motivate and also to listen, in order to guarantee the transparency.

 

The expert stated that Brazil has a great chance in its role at COP30 because it will also hold the presidency of the G20 from December. “It is important in the fight against climate change to connect across all the political arenas. President Lula needs to talk with his partners about new NDCs, to have new actions both from the government and from non-government bodies. It is important to mobilize within the country itself and also in other countries, during the G20 presidency,” he highlighted.

 

The Head of Policy at Germanwatch, Lutz Weischer, highlighted the importance of civil society using the demonstration space at the COPs. In a message to Brazil, he said it was fundamental to start the preparations early and to look at different international forums and opportunities. Recognizing the increasing complexity of the negotiations, he stated that the COPs are essential: “Before the Paris Agreement, we were in a global warming scenario of almost 4 to 6 °C of global warming. We are now below 2 °C. It is an enormous difference. And we would not have this success without the COP.”

 

'The Experience of Hosting a COP'

 

The second panel of the event, “The Experience of Hosting a COP,” explored the experience of Peru with COP20, in Lima. With the participation of Danielle Magalhães, the leader of the global climate action team of the UNFCCC; Ramiro Fernandez, the campaign director at the Climate Champions Team; Rómulo Acurio, the Peruvian ambassador to Brazil; and Sarah Millar, the program director at the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, the group highlighted the importance of commitment, global cooperation and the diversified involvement of society to address climate challenges at future COPs.

 

Rómulo Acurio opened the session by recalling the case of Peru, which hosted COP20, in 2014, and highlighted the need for the commitment and inclusion of everyone throughout an event of this magnitude:

 

“The COP is immensely complex and there are many procedural challenges. There are two weeks of quick and considered decisions, in which the organizing team must be deeply familiar with all the procedural details, while the presidency assumes responsibility for supervising and guiding the secretariat of the United Nations. Furthermore, each division has its own agenda, which makes it essential that the presidency establishes intellectual and political autonomy in order to guarantee the efficient functioning of the event. For this, cooperation and the need to establish political consensus are indispensable,” he assessed.

 

Ramiro Fernandez, from the Climate Champions Team, stated that the COPs can play a role of neutrality between countries, mainly through the Champions, which is responsible for inviting different segments of society to introduce innovative solutions to the events. “One shared objective allows societies to strengthen their resilience and contribute to the agenda of the event. These actions highlight the importance of the Champions for the COP, whose social involvement contributed to the achievement of significant results in the face of these challenges,” he concluded.

 

Danielle Magalhães, from UNFCCC, observed the evolution of the COPs, with the increasing participation of the private sector, businesses, banks, investors and state governments, showing how these changes have pressed for more ambitious results. She highlighted that COP20 was the first time that representatives from civil society participated in the discussions about the commitments that countries could make to confront the climate crisis.

 

“This innovative engagement began in Lima, with a cycle of ambition that pressed the member countries to seek bolder conclusions. During this period, several initiatives and coalitions were formed, including efforts concentrated on specific sectors such as transport and energy. These initiatives showed that, in the real world of the economy, these sectors could do more, supported by civil society, the private sector and investors. This multifaceted collaboration drove COP21 and was fundamental to the understanding that joint action was essential in order to achieve significant results,” she stated.

 

With experience at COPs 26 and 27, Sarah Millar brought the perspective of Glasgow, the Homestay Program organized during the Covid pandemic and the so-called COP Coalition, which is an international coalition of civil society organizations that monitors the conferences every year. “The Glasgow COP was an honor. We had great support from society and this has helped us make a connection with the Scottish people in a very broad way,” she said.

 

'COP30 – Paths and Perspectives of the State for the COP in Brazil'

 

The third panel of the meeting, “COP30 – Paths and Perspectives of the State for the COP in Brazil,” was presented by Maria Netto and was attended by the institutional relations advisor from the city hall of Belém, Marinor Brito; the deputy secretary of the Office of the Chief of Staff responsible for the national council of the COP30, Gabriel Lui; and the superintendent of the environment of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Nabil Kadri.

 

In the discussion, Marinor Brito reinforced the changes that the city hall of Belém has made with the decision to host COP30. After surveys on the release of greenhouse gases, the city hall decided to invest in afforestation, less polluting means of transport and to provide infrastructure to prevent flooding. For her, the international meeting will further increase the tourism potential of the city, which generates employment and income.

 

“The COP is a window of opportunities. We want a greater popular participation and organize debates, not only to host the conference, but also to become agents of change. We are a hospitable and multicultural people and we are very proud to host the Brazilian COP, which is also Amazonian,” stated Marinor.

 

Gabriel Lui highlighted the need to support Belém's infrastructure, mainly in the roads, the basic sanitation and the reinforcement of the hotel capacity. The deputy secretary stated that the organization is very concerned about the legacy for the city after the investments and plans to create a structure of responsible governance for the COP.

 

“We want something that is more participatory, to make decisions broadly and collectively in society. Is the COP the only way we can be together to carry out the collaboration process? Maybe we have other ways of facilitating these debates in a more democratic manner,” asked Lui.

 

The person responsible for the national council of the COP30 also highlighted that, despite the event taking place in an Amazonian city, there are other agendas to be debated beyond the forest. Lui highlighted that the COP is global and that the objective is to solve major global climate problems, but which also affect the local regions.

Throughout his participation, Nabil Kadri emphasized the support of BNDES for meetings that debate climate issues. The superintendent stated that the concern with the lack of energy in Belém was significant but that the bank is prepared to offer support up to 2025.

​

“We were very concerned with the energy security of the city of Belém. However, we managed to guarantee the financing of R$ 1.8 billion for the construction of a generating power plant in Barcarena, which will guarantee the energy security, not only during the event, but also for many years,” he explained

​

'COP30 –Paths and Perspectives of Civil Society for the COP in Brazil'

​

The fourth panel, “COP30: Paths and Perspectives of Civil Society for the COP in Brazil,” included the participation of Ana Rosa Cyrus, the executive-director of Engajamundo; the executive-manager of the Brazil Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, Laura Lamonica, and the executive-secretary of the Climate Observatory, Marcio Astrini. It was mediated by Cintya Feitosa, advisor of International Relations at iCS. In the panel that concluded the debates, the importance of expanding the engagement of civil society in the climate agenda was highlighted.

​

Marcio Astrini said it is fundamental to be discussing COP30 with two years to go before the event takes place in Brazil, remembering that the journey to the success of a climate conference is in the recognition of the opportunities for the building a productive agenda for the achievement of agreements that comply with the climate urgency.

 

“For a government that wants, as was said here by the government representatives, to lead the agenda and not only to talk about it. As (minister) Marina Silva says, lead by example and by practice and by specific action. So, the climate conference opens a window of opportunities to work with this government, including the two years before the conference, so that you can improve the indicators, the achievements and the actions of the country's socioenvironmental agenda. Civil society needs to organize itself for this and also for the two weeks of COP30,” said Astrini.

 

For the executive-secretary, the conferences are constant and do not only take place during the two weeks of the COP itself. He recalled the importance of Brazil's presidency of the G20 for the inclusion of the climate agenda in this forum of world leaders, but considered that faced with a scenario of international conflicts, the challenge will be to find space for the climate.

​

The expansion of engagement of the different sectors of society is indicated by Laura Lamonica as one of the significant achievements of the COPs. For her, despite the advances made over the most recent conferences, there is a need to expand the inclusion of actors from the different segments of civil society. She said that the strengthening of the networks for the exchange of knowledge and experiences should be a hallmark of COP30 in Brazil.

​

“There are some things that are not being included in the negotiations and we need to see how they can be included in some way in these discussions. The COPs are a time that enables this moment of engagement and, as hosts of COP30 in Brazil, we have to be very attentive to the increase of mobilization. We have all the conditions for the COP in Brazil to have major mobilizations and the largest climate march ever recorded,” she said, recalling that an example of this was given during the Amazon Summit this year in Belém.

​

For Paula, Brazil can, as host country, promote this engagement for a diverse conference with very powerful positionings. She added that the expectation is that Brazil will play a leading climate role by example.

Ana Rosa, the executive-director of Engajamundo, brought to the debate the other voices that seek an active space at the climate conferences, but are not present at the negotiating tables. From the perspective of the inclusion of young people in the climate debate, the Engajamundo representative highlighted the various barriers that exist for this public.

​

“The main objective of Engajamundo was to influence the COPs. We have a history of participating in climate conferences and we have seen losses and gains. Today we know that one of the greatest challenges is 'how to read young people.' Our work has been heavily involved in finding ways to improve youth participation and to guarantee a voice for young people in the climate agenda,” she explained.

​

Ana Rosa also defended the preservation of Brazil's cultural and regional identity by hosting COP30, saying that it is important to know how to listen and give plurality to the climate agenda and movement in the country.

The national secretary of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ana Toni, the last speaker at the Dialogues, highlighted the importance of the Brazilian government having defined, during the Amazon Summit, in Belém, in August, that combating deforestation was its main contribution to the climate issue. For her, it is necessary that the other countries that participate in the COP do not hide from their problems.

Ana Toni stated that the success of COP30 depends on landmarks such as the results of COP28, with the Global Stocktake aligned with the goal of the limit of 1.5 °C for global warming, and at COP29 aligning the national and international financing to 1.5 °C.

 

According to her, COP30 has three major challenges for Brazil. Firstly, the location, including logistics, a legacy for the city of Belém, the people, and the Amazon. Nationally, it is because the COP is in the Amazon, but it is also about Brazil. “We want to show Brazil as a provider of climate solutions, at home and abroad, with social justice,” she stated. “Brazil is not only an exporter of green hydrogen, but also Brazil can have renewable energy that attracts investment, companies, creating employment and training.” The third challenge is the fact that the presidency is international, which requires neutrality in all the negotiations.

​

The climate secretary also warned about the moment of widespread distrust in relation to the Paris Agreement. Concluding, she highlighted the importance of a critical partnership between the government, civil society, the private sector and academia to comply with Brazil's most ambitious goals, aligned with 1.5 °C and backed by mitigation plans.

 

Release by Avenida Comunicação.

See some photos from the event below. To review, click here.

​

​

​