Brazil has been formally designated as the host country for COP 30, the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, set to take place in Belém from November 10 to 21, 2025. The announcement was made official during the plenary session of COP 28 in Dubai. This will mark the first time the Amazon will host a COP. The news was announced by Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, on Monday (11).
Governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, acknowledged that the state may not be able to offer the same infrastructure as Dubai, but emphasized the importance of discussing environmental preservation amidst the world's largest tropical forest.
— Anyone who wishes to discuss the environment in the Amazon Rainforest is invited to come to the state of Pará. We do not want to showcase wealth resulting from questioning what needs to be reconsidered within an energy transition process. We want to take advantage of the COP in Belém to showcase the forest. Many people talk about us, attribute responsibilities to us. Many point fingers and blame us, but very few know us. Very few are aware of the reality in the Amazon. What we want at the COP in Belém is for those who are here in Dubai, impressed with the opulence and beauty, the structure of this city, to be impressed with the largest tropical forest on the planet — Barbalho said.
Paulo Artaxo, coordinator of the Center for Sustainable Amazon Studies at the University of São Paulo (USP), praised Brazil's significant presence at COP 28, with a massive turnout of state ministers, parliamentarians, and civil society. He highlighted the emphasis Brazil placed on the Amazon region, with Governor Helder Barbalho taking a prominent role in showcasing the importance of hosting a climate conference in the most important biome for the environment.
— Above all, Brazil brought to COP 28 the need to combine sustainability in the Amazon with the reduction of social inequality. It is not an easy task, but Brazil will have to dedicate itself over the next few decades. This will not be done in one or two years, but the Amazon is key to global climate change — he emphasized.
For André Corrêa do Lago, Secretary for Climate, Energy, and the Environment of Brazil, Brazil's participation underscores the importance the country places on environmental issues.
— As the Prime Minister of Norway [Jonas Gahr Store] said, the reduction in deforestation in Brazil this year is the best climate news of the year worldwide. So Brazil was very well received and showed that it is doing the work at home and also presenting bold and advanced proposals, demonstrating the Brazilian government's full confidence in science — he evaluated.
Also present at COP 28, indigenous leader Marcos Sabaru, from the Tingui-Botó people in Alagoas, called for less discussion and more concrete actions during the COPs.
— What is widely discussed should be put into practice: sustainable development. The world is collapsing, and society and countries need to take action. Reviewing their stance on land use, waste, exploitation, mining, deforestation, and consumerism. I think society needs to make this effort and understand if it wants to continue living or if it will face difficulties. When difficulties come, and they will come, those countries with more resources will have an easier time protecting themselves. Those with fewer resources will suffer more, as always — he warned.
When asked about the negative repercussions of Brazil's entry into OPEC+ as an observer member, Petrobras President Jean Paul Prates stated that participation in the organization's debates is important.
— Because Brazil is a major economy that produces a lot of oil, consumes a lot of oil-derived products, exports more than 1.5 million barrels/day, but has a clean energy matrix, cleaner than all the strongest nations and large and medium economies in the world. And there is nothing wrong with participating in this group.
The presidency of COP-28 also released a draft of the Global Stocktake, a global assessment of the Paris Agreement, on Monday. However, the wording disappointed the Brazilian delegation for not being more decisive regarding the reduction of fossil fuels. Minister Marina Silva commented that the text can still be modified and she expects an improvement in the wording in this regard.
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