Originally published in Agra Facts
Brazil is gearing up to host the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) in the city of Belém (Pará), located in the fringes of the Amazon forest in Nov 2025 (exact dates to be confirmed), CNA’s Head of Delegation Dr. Muni Lourenço underlined today (Nov 18), saying it was an opportunity to showcase the “quality of tropical farming in Brazil & the Amazon.”
Speaking with Agra Facts via video link from Baku, the Vice-President of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture & Livestock, described the ongoing UN Climate Summit as a “key moment … because we’ve been developing important conversations, partnerships & pathways as we prepare for COP30 in Belém next year.”
When asked about how to finance the climate transition – the main issue up for debate in the Azerbaijan capital – he regretted that commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement had not been fulfilled, pointing to the “well-established principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,” adding that “we also believe that richer countries have a greater capacity to facilitate the transition in developing countries through financing mechanisms.”
In terms of what climate financing should be used for in the future, the farmer, with a background in business administration & law, suggested monies should be channeled for the “development & implementation of tools & technologies needed for mitigation & adaptation, which can guarantee three main guarantees: food security; energy security & climate security.” “If rural producers in developing countries can access adequate financing, this can represent a valuable incentive to maintain native vegetation, because we are giving it a commercial value,” he added, underlining the need for investment in technologies as a key tool in adapting to climate change to measure emissions & carbon capture, for example.
When asked about progress on the Sharm el-Sheikh working group on the implementation of climate action for agriculture & food
security, established in Egypt in Nov 2022, the Chairman of CNA’s National Environment Commission underlined that many issues have already been resolved, such as “the development of workshops & the drafting of funding reports.” During the ongoing talks in Baku, he & his Brazilian colleagues – the Latin American country has nearly 2 000 delegates registered – were “encouraged by the substantial progress
made in developing the online portal & the steps needed for its full implementation & official launch in Belem at COP30”.
At a time when world leaders gather for the G20 Summit in Rio (Nov 18-19), he sounded a note of caution on last week’s move by EU lawmakers to, in effect, exempt Member States from the rules they are imposing on countries like Brazil in relation to deforestation. “We are extremely disappointed with the European Parliament’s vote to include a fourth, so-called ‘risk-free’ category in the EUDR,
” he underlined, adding that “European industries & companies, & farmers around the world, have rightly been extremely vociferous in
their criticism of this deeply flawed regulation, which will exclude small producers from international markets.”
“Instead of working to substantially reform the legislation, the EP, with this vote, has made the situation even worse & created an exemption for EU Member States,” he underlined, describing it as an “unequivocal concession to European interests & an impulsive reaction to the recent demonstrations across Europe,” which he says, is “clearly designed as a protectionist measure that will distort trade & is extremely worrying as we move ever closer to the possible finalization of an EU-Mercosur trade agreement.”
Ahead of the meeting of EU Ambassadors in Brussels on Wed (Nov 20), the Brazilian farm lobbyist pledged to “take every opportunity
to continue challenging this poorly-drafted legislation … & explore all available options.”