On November 27, the Center for Agribusiness Studies (FGV) gathered a group of researchers to discuss studies and documents produced directly or indirectly for COP30, which contributed to the conference debates, as well as to review key lessons and perspectives that emerged from the event.
Moderated by Camila Estevam, researcher at the Knowledge and Innovation Observatory in Bioeconomy (FGV Bioeconomia), the webinar Lessons and Perspectives from COP30 featured FGV Emeritus Professor Roberto Rodrigues; Marcelo Behar, researcher at São Paulo Law School (FGV Direito SP); Talita Pinto, coordinator of FGV Bioeconomia; Marcelo Morandi, Head of International Relations at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa); and Nelson Barbosa, Director of Planning, Institutional Relations, and Project Preparation at the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
According to Marcelo Morandi, COP30 brought significant gains despite the complexity of negotiations:
“It’s a complex process, chaotic by nature. Disruptive changes are rare—you can’t expect miracles at COPs. We had several important successes this time, such as the mention of fossil fuels and the recognition of agriculture in the energy transition.”
He emphasized that tropical agriculture plays a strategic role in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change, reinforcing the need for specific metrics for this context.
Marcelo Behar highlighted Brazil’s leadership at COP30 and the symbolic and practical gains of hosting the event in Belém:
“Holding COP in Belém was both a logistical challenge and a gain for the world, which had little idea of what an Amazonian city is. Belém now has the first bioeconomy park, where you can see in practice how to create new technologies,” said the researcher, who also served as Special Envoy for Bioeconomy.
Behar also stressed the return of multilateralism and Brazil’s ability to build consensus:
“We managed to close an agreement and move forward with 29 decisions. Brazil brought the central issue to the table - fossil fuels - bringing together more than 80 countries around this commitment. In bioeconomy, the TFFF (Tropical Forest Forever Facility) is one of the biggest achievements, creating metrics and markets for this sector.”
Talita Pinto reinforced that science must be the foundation of climate targets:
“Science will define what is possible, necessary, and urgent, showing how much warming the planet can withstand and what path we need to follow to ensure safety. No country should commit to targets without technical backing to know if they can be implemented.”
She also noted that scientific data reveal asymmetries between countries, indicating who emits more, who is more vulnerable, and who has greater adaptive capacity.
Nelson Barbosa highlighted that COP30 placed greater emphasis on adaptation, a topic that requires national solutions:
“We need to spend more on adaptation to avoid losses from climate extremes. Every global commitment must translate into local actions.”
He cited instruments such as the Climate Fund, managed by BNDES, to finance green industry, renewable energy, and urban development, as well as the TFFF as a perpetuity mechanism for countries with tropical forests.
For Roberto Rodrigues, COP30 marked a turning point for the agricultural sector:
“Global agriculture benefited from COP30. This topic wasn’t very prominent in previous conferences, but this time it took a central role on the agenda. And tropical agribusiness has a larger dimension than the rest of the world for numerous reasons.”
Rodrigues, who served as Special Envoy for Agriculture, mentioned Agrizone, a showcase set up by Embrapa to present Brazilian agriculture to the world:
“Thousands of people visited Agrizone, and many foreigners were amazed by the scale of Brazilian agriculture and its pro-climate stance. Organizers of the next COP have already shown interest in setting up their own Agrizones—a spectacular outcome of our participation.”
After the first round of debate, experts addressed topics such as sustainable fuels, certification and forest management as an economic strategy, adaptation and mitigation in agriculture, conflicts over agricultural targets, and the economic viability of low-carbon farming.
Behar emphasized the historical relevance of Brazil’s COP presidency, which places the country at the center of global climate negotiations. This position requires leadership to propose metrics and mechanisms that reflect the specificities of the Global South, balancing economic and environmental interests:
“In a year that begins Brazil’s COP presidency, it’s important to remember that the Belém event marks the start. Now Brazil has one year to preside over the climate conference and hand it over to Australia at the Istanbul conference next November.”
Barbosa pointed to a concrete opportunity for Brazil to lead the energy transition in strategic sectors such as air and maritime transport:
“The main short-term path is investing in sustainable aviation and shipping fuels. These are demands already in place, with growing adoption criteria. When there’s demand, supply organizes itself, and Brazil can produce this at scale, at competitive cost.”
Morandi highlighted a crucial point: climate transition in agriculture cannot be seen only as emission reduction. It is essential to ensure productive resilience before advancing mitigation:
“For agriculture, adaptation and mitigation are completely dependent on the order of factors. If I don’t have a well-adapted agriculture, mitigation is impossible. And the reverse is also true.”
During the debate, Talita Pinto reinforced a strategic point: transitioning to sustainable practices in agriculture is not only environmentally necessary but also economically advantageous:
“One of our studies shows that, in addition to the decarbonization potential of ABC+ Plan technologies, the economic return, given broad implementation, could reach about 95 billion reais per year by 2030. This means it’s not only feasible but profitable.”
Watch the full debate by clicking here.
Complete coverage of Fundação Getulio Vargas researchers’ participation in COP30—including agendas, exclusive content, and contributions to global climate action—is available on the FGV Climate Agenda Platform. The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the contributing researchers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Foundation.