- Brazil, hosting climate negotiations from November 11 to November 21, hopes COP30 will move the world from words to action, turning promises on mitigation and adaptation into real, measurable progress.
- Brazil aims to bridge the gap between the Global South and North, rebuilding trust in climate cooperation amid global tensions, says the ambassador of Brazil to India in this interview.
- Through initiatives like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility and the Open Planetary Intelligence Network, Brazil is introducing new, Global South-led mechanisms to fund forest conservation.
The United Nations’ annual climate summit, COP30, began on November 10 in Belém, Brazil. For the host country, it is more than just another global meeting. It is a symbolic return to where the world’s modern climate journey began. Thirty-three years ago, Brazil hosted the landmark 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where nations signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), laying the foundation for international cooperation on climate action.
As leaders gather again on Brazilian soil, the world finds itself at another turning point. It has been nearly a decade since the Paris Agreement set voluntary emission reduction goals for all countries, and COP30 offers a moment to take stock of the effort made so far. The signs are troubling. A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report warns that the planet is on course to breach the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels, the upper limit scientists consider safe.
Against this backdrop, Mongabay-India spoke to Brazil’s Ambassador to India, Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega, about how his country hopes to steer global discussions and build consensus on the climate pathway ahead.
Mongabay: What are Brazil’s top priorities for COP30, and how does it plan to shape the agenda differently from previous COPs to achieve tangible outcomes?
Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega: The Brazilian presidency of COP30 is taking place at a time of climate emergency. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent around the world. With a sense of urgency, we are focusing on implementation and action, such as tripling renewable energy and providing climate finance for developing countries. We are working with three main objectives: strengthening multilateralism by reinforcing global cooperation and respect for science in climate governance; accelerating the implementation of existing goals, including those set out in the Paris Agreement and the first Global Stocktake, rather than creating new ones. Implementation, meaning, mitigation, adaptation, and mobilisation of financial resources. Third, connecting climate action to daily life, making climate issues more relatable and accessible to people everywhere.
We have drawn up specific plans for four areas of action: a global mobilisation process, an Action Agenda, the Leaders’ Summit, and formal UNFCCC negotiations. These four areas must be complementary in order to contribute to the full implementation of the Agreement. The first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement of 2023 should guide all future action, with its calls to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, as well as to accelerate the global energy transition.
We believe that COP30 will be remembered not only for new commitments but for inaugurating a decisive phase of implementation.
Mongabay: COP30 is being seen as the moment to turn climate promises into real action. How does Brazil plan to transition from commitments on paper to action on the ground, especially when the world is divided by political tensions and financial challenges?
Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega: Brazil plans to drive the transition from commitment to implementation at COP30 by pivoting the focus from goal-setting to practical, results-oriented action, mobilising innovative financing mechanisms, and leveraging domestic actions and international cooperation to overcome geopolitical and financial constraints.
Three of the initiatives of the Brazilian presidency deserve special mention at this point. One initiative that addresses a relevant finance gap is the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which seeks to establish a permanent and results-based mechanism for financing the conservation of tropical forests and supporting the sustainable development of the communities that protect them. The second is the Open Planetary Intelligence Network (OPIN), a global multistakeholder mission aimed at leveraging data interoperability to accelerate the deployment of critical technologies, unifying the digital and climate transformations into a single planetary agenda towards sustainable development. Lastly, the important exercise of the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES), whose Asia edition was held in New Delhi in September, strengthened the civil society dimension in the climate process, reflecting on principles of justice, equity, and solidarity, so that implementation is not only effective but also fair.
Mongabay: With global attention divided among multiple crises, what steps can Brazil take as the host of COP30 to renew momentum for collective climate action?
Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega: Brazilian diplomacy has been and will continue to be a “bridge-builder” between the Global South and Global North. COP30 in Belém is a key moment to strengthen and revitalise the multilateral climate regime. We acknowledge the current geopolitical tensions and the crisis of global governance, which pose unprecedented challenges to multilateralism. We hope COP30 can serve as an important symbol that multilateral cooperation remains the only viable path forward to face an existential challenge for all humanity, for it requires global collective action.
More specifically, COP in Brazil will seek to strengthen at least three aspects of the international climate regime: first, the adequacy of national policies reflected in the NDCs; second, the effective implementation of these policies focused on climate action; and third, the provision of adequate financing to enable developing countries to expand their ambition and adapt to the effects of climate change.
Mongabay: Adaptation features prominently in the COP30 agenda. How is Brazil working to ensure adaptation, particularly in finance and implementation, receives equal emphasis alongside mitigation?
Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega: Adaptation is one of the five major building blocks for COP30 final deliverables, alongside mitigation, means of implementation, just transition, and the Global Stocktake (GST). COP30 will stock-take the first cycle of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), including addressing the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicators under the UAE–Belém Work Programme.
Brazil focuses on adaptation as a collective effort to scale real-world solutions to address climate challenges, focusing on building resilience and addressing climate-related risks. A collective effort that must be grounded in economic opportunity, technological innovation, and social justice.
Our agenda prioritises implementing existing commitments, mapping and connecting initiatives from previous COPs, and establishing a transparent system to monitor progress and drive accountability. The private sector should play its part by evaluating climate-related risks, adopting credible transition plans, and positioning itself to engage meaningfully with countries and investors on policy, financing, and delivery.
The TFFF and the OPIN, mentioned above, will be important tools for scaling up adaptation across the Global South.
Mongabay: The COP30 Presidency has proposed the TFFF for tropical forest conservation. How is Brazil building international consensus around this initiative, and what mechanisms are being considered to ensure its long-term impact?
Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega: The TFFF is an innovative financial mechanism for payment for ecosystem services. It is designed to generate a new, stable, and long-term source of revenue for countries with tropical forests. The TFFF financial model is a kind of endowment fund: the principal capital will not be consumed, but will be invested to generate sustainable long-term returns. Only the income from this capital will be used to make payments. The TFFF will be funded by public and private contributions. The total capital is projected to be $125 billion, primarily invested in emerging market securities, with an estimated annual return of 7.6%.
The model stipulates that 20% of the principal capital ($25 billion) will come from sovereign sources, in the form of direct contributions or guarantees, allowing the TFIF to issue AAA-rated securities (the highest-rated debt instrument, which means maximum creditworthiness and the lowest risk of default). This structure would enable the leveraging of the remaining 80% ($100 billion) through the mobilisation of private capital. Another important pioneering aspect of the TFFF is its proactive nature, coming from the Global South, to tackle deforestation.
This is the first time that a financial instrument of this scale and sophistication has been designed by countries that are traditionally recipients of resources, which are now taking the lead in formulating global solutions. The initiative reflects the technical and political maturity of the Global South and contributes to a more equitable and representative international financial architecture that is aligned with the realities of developing countries.
In short, the TFFF is a blended finance instrument that will use public contributions to leverage private resources. This arrangement reflects Brazil’s commitment to diversifying sources, which in turn reinforces the legitimacy of our demand for developed countries to fulfil their obligations under environmental agreements.
The proposal has aroused growing interest on the part of governments, the private sector, civil society, and the press, as well as indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The TFFF was launched very recently and already has contributions of more than $5 billion.
Read more: New UNEP report flags that adaptation ambitions don’t have the climate finance to support them
Banner image: Image of Ambassador Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega courtesy of Embassy of Brazil.
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