Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, called on countries attending the COP30 to transform goals and commitments into concrete actions. He participated in a high-level meeting in Belem that brought together ministers from various countries.
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— This COP must mark the beginning of a decade of acceleration and implementation. He said in his speech: “The moment when words turn into tangible action is when we stop discussing goals and all of us start achieving them.”
He also praised the so-called Belem Commitment, which aims to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035. According to him, 25 countries have already joined this effort.
To achieve this commitment, hydrogen and its derivatives, biogas, biofuels and synthetic fuels must be produced on a large scale and at competitive prices, in order to complete the process of electrification and replace fossil fuels in the transportation and industrial sectors.
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) was prepared to take on the role of annual monitoring of progress on compliance, which was based on the IEA’s analysis.
Canada, Chile and India are among the countries that have already supported this commitment. This initiative is jointly sponsored by Brazil, Italy and Japan.
Alkmene also said that COP30’s “commitment” should be to chart a roadmap for the energy transition and end illegal deforestation. The Brazilian presidency is seeking to reach consensus on a proposal for this transformation.
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In his speech, the Vice President of Brazil defended the Brazilian initiative of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF). For the Vice President, “the time for promises is past” and leaders attending COP30 must have a “sense of urgency.”
Brazil believes that ethics, innovation and sustainability are not parallel paths, but rather the same path: the path of shared responsibility for the common future of humanity. I call on the leaders here to act with the same sense of urgency, realism and hope. The time to act is now, he said.
See the full speech
It is an honor to be here in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the world’s largest tropical forest, at the opening of this high-level segment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30).
In the midst of so many speeches and negotiations, one guiding principle must remain: this must be a conference of truth, implementation and, above all, responsibility. Responsibility to the planet we live on, to the people who live here, and to future generations.
We must all work in such a way that every decision taken today, whether political, economic, industrial or environmental, contributes to maintaining living conditions on Earth, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring justice between generations.
Brazil and the government of President Lula recognize their responsibility and the challenges they face in combating climate change. We are custodians of one of the largest biomes on the planet, and the Amazon is a vital part of the global climate balance. Our commitment from all of us: to map roadmaps for the energy transition and end illegal deforestation.
The time for promises has passed. Every additional fraction of a degree Celsius in global warming represents lives at risk, more inequality, and more losses for those who have contributed the least to the problem. Therefore, this COP must mark the beginning of a decade of acceleration and implementation. The moment when talk turns into concrete action, when we stop discussing goals, and we all start achieving them.
Brazil arrives at this conference to reaffirm its commitment to clean energy, innovation and inclusion. We have the most renewable energy matrix among major economies, and we are leaders in biofuels and bioenergy. This year, President Lula’s government decided to increase the share of ethanol in gasoline to 30% on a mandatory basis, and also increased the share of ethanol in diesel to 15% on a mandatory basis.
The energy transition must be fair: no one should be left behind. We want it to generate employment, income and development opportunities for all regions and to be a model of cooperation for other countries.
We also reaffirm our commitment to work to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030. The launch of the Forever Tropical Forest Fund, which has mobilized billions of dollars in investments, represents a new way to combine forest conservation, the green economy and social justice. Protecting the forest is protecting people, because human life and nature are inseparable.
In this sense, we need to look for creative solutions in strategic areas, such as the bioeconomy, which values our natural resources in a sustainable way; In decarbonisation, which is essential to reducing our carbon footprint and which can be strengthened through the Global Alliance of Regulated Carbon Markets, which will work to establish transparent, collectively agreed carbon mechanisms in which we count on more and more countries to become members.
Protecting forests depends, above all, on those who live in them. More than 28 million Brazilians live in the Amazon region, including indigenous people and traditional communities, who are the true guardians of the forest. Knowledge of the ancestors of these people is one of the most powerful forms of ecological intelligence on the planet. The Amazon region, in all its diversity, should be an example that it is possible to grow, produce and conserve at the same time.
Brazil proposes that COP 30 leave as a legacy the Integrated Action Maps:
In accelerating the energy transition and moving away from dependence on fossil fuels, the goal is to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030. That date is just around the corner, but data shows that renewable capacity today is still half of what is needed to achieve the goal. In the same vein, the Belem Commitment aims to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035, and 25 countries have already joined this effort.
By eliminating illegal deforestation, we have already reduced deforestation in Brazil by 50%, but we have to do more. Innovative ideas, such as TFFF, can make a tangible contribution to reaching the goal;
Valorization of forests, especially with an emphasis on the social and bio-economy, as well as the revitalization of degraded areas;
Strengthening cooperation between governments, businesses and local communities: Only through “collective effort” will we be able to change minds and realities.
It is time for all of us to renew our unity around the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The offer by governments of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aligned with the 1.5°C target in the Paris Agreement is one sign of commitment to combating climate change and promoting multilateralism.
Bold and realistic, Brazil’s Nationally Determined Contributions, which I had the honor of announcing last year, with Minister Marina Silva at COP29 in Baku, outline a commitment to reduce the country’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 59% to 67% by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.
In national programs and policies, Brazil seeks to do its part. Integrating the industrial and technological sector into the efforts is essential and requires effective and focused coordination between government and the private sector in areas such as industrial decarbonisation, circular economy, renewable energy matrix, biofuels promotion, research into new materials and more efficient production processes.
The thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties now represents a transitional phase for the system, from negotiation to implementation. The various decisions that will emerge from Belém will strengthen mechanisms and encourage new arrangements to accelerate action to combat climate change on a global scale. We will do so by choice, because it is the right choice.
We are all here to turn ambition into good public outcomes and policies. Our duty is to ensure that global climate action is guided by an ethic of responsibility – an ethic that unites science, solidarity, progress and dignity.
Brazil believes that ethics, innovation and sustainability are not parallel paths, but rather the same path: the path of shared responsibility for the common future of humanity. I call on the leaders here to act with the same sense of urgency, realism and hope. It’s time to act.
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