Belém’s COP30 – Brazil and the Philippines moving the house forward together

When the world convenes in Belém, Brazil, in November for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), the event will mark more than a milestone in global climate negotiations. For the first time, a COP will take place in the world’s largest tropical rainforest, a setting that underscores humanity’s connection with nature. Brazil’s presidency seeks to turn that symbolism into action, steering the agenda toward implementation, inclusion and ambition. Expected to host about 50,000 participants, COP30 arrives at a decisive moment: the first Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement shows that progress, though real, remains insufficient to keep global warming within safe limits.

Brazil’s approach rests on three pillars: strengthening multilateralism, linking climate action to people’s lives and accelerating the delivery of existing pledges. Its guiding concept, mutirão – a community mobilization where neighbors join forces to accomplish difficult tasks – mirrors the Filipino spirit of bayanihan. Both express collective effort and reciprocity: moving a house, replanting a field or sharing labor, knowing it will one day be repaid.

In this spirit, COP30 puts cooperation at the heart of climate action, asserting that the transition succeeds only as a shared civic practice. Brazil’s Agenda unites governments, scientists, businesses and communities to advance the energy transition, sustainable use of forests and oceans, climate-smart agriculture, resilient cities, social inclusion and the mobilization of finance, technology and knowledge. Activation groups will spotlight practical solutions, such as off-grid renewables powering remote villages, mangrove restoration and early-warning systems saving lives.

Energy will be central. The GST identifies energy systems as responsible for roughly 3/4 of global emissions. Belém will urge the expansion of renewables, ensuring that the shift from fossil fuels is just and equitable. Forests and biodiversity will be equally crucial. The proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) seeks to reward conservation and the communities that sustain it, recognizing forests as both carbon sinks and sources of livelihoods.

The Leaders’ Summit, on Nov. 6, will feature a session on wildfires, issuing a Call to Action that advocates replacing reactive suppression with prevention, recovery and the ecological use of fire. Wildfires, more frequent and severe worldwide, erase carbon gains, destroy biodiversity and threaten livelihoods. COP30 will highlight the urgency of global cooperation and stronger national capacities. Through the Call and the TFFF, Brazil signals leadership and a practical path to resilience, one no country can build alone.

COP30 is also a stage for peoples. About 476 million Indigenous people, including those in Brazil and the Philippines, make up six percent of humanity. Around 45 percent of intact forests lie within Indigenous territories, where deforestation rates are lower. Where rights are respected, forests endure; where they are denied, destruction follows. Indigenous peoples are not only defenders of the environment but also guardians of cultures and ecosystems. Participation, therefore, must broaden, and inclusion must guide implementation, ensuring free, prior and informed consent for measures affecting lands and cultures, while directing more climate finance to communities already delivering results with scarce resources.

In this context, the partnership between Brazil and the Philippines stands out as a model of South-South tropical cooperation. Both nations host immense biodiversity while facing the dual challenge of conservation and inclusive growth. The Philippines’ achievements in marine and species protection and Brazil’s leadership in forest management and renewable energy form natural bridges for collaboration. Their aligned stances in global forums strengthen this affinity, as both call for greater ambition from developed nations, predictable finance and fair access to technology.

The Philippines’ designation as host of the Board of the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage underscores its leadership among developing nations in advancing global climate cooperation. At the Board’s 2024 meeting in Manila, the Philippines renewed its call for developed economies to deliver the pledged $300 billion in climate finance by 2035, an appeal echoing Brazil’s insistence that the transition must be global in both responsibility and benefit.

Climate realities give this partnership urgency. The Philippines endures several tropical storms each year, inflicting a heavy toll on lives and causing billions of dollars in economic losses. Rising seas threaten millions of Filipinos with displacement, while warming oceans endanger the Coral Triangle’s delicate ecosystems. Brazil faces its own extremes, from floods in the south to droughts in the northeast and fires in the Amazon. For both countries, climate change is not abstract; it is a daily test of livelihoods and national development.

Collaboration is already tangible, as shown by the Brazilian Space Agency and the Philippine Space Agency in their use of satellite and drone monitoring of deforestation and illegal fishing. Looking ahead, the Embassy of Brazil in Manila continues to build partnerships with the Philippine government, academia and the private sector, fostering exchanges on bioeconomy, renewable energy and climate-resilient agriculture.

As COP30 approaches, Brazil and the Philippines embody the potential of the tropics as launchpads for solutions in the face of climate vulnerabilities. They show that protecting nature, promoting development and respecting traditional communities are not contradictions but parts of the same promise to build a future where prosperity and sustainability advance together.

In Belém, may our two tropical democracies carry a shared message: that humanity’s best chance lies in unity, creativity and the courage to act. That is bayanihan and mutirão, side by side, moving the house forward toward a better future for generations to come.

*   *   *

Gilberto Fonseca Guimaraes de Moura is the Ambassador of Brazil to the Philippines.