Environment Minister Marina Silva said the Senate was “going against the grain” on efforts to curb climate change. Speaking on the eve of the meeting in Belem to coincide with the opening of COP30, she criticized the approval of new benefits for coal-fired power plants as “ridiculous”. In an interview with GLOBO in the capital Pará, Marina downplayed the government’s support for Petrobras’ operations in the equatorial margin as “challenges and contradictions in the energy transition.”
How will Brazil reach COP30?
We did a lot of homework before the COP. We have reduced deforestation and forest fires by 50% for the third year in a row. This is the result of public policies such as increasing the number of teams, holding competitions, and equipping firefighters. If this country were under a cloud of smoke, we would all be confused.
Does Petrobras’ support for exploring for oil in the equatorial margins contradict its promise to lead by example?
There are few countries that have not experienced challenges and contradictions in their energy transition. France has invested heavily in nuclear energy, with 60% of its energy matrix being fossil fuels. Europe has begun to consider gas as a transition fuel. It was important that President Lula spoke at the summit about the need to end dependence on fossil fuels. It’s not enough to just want to break free from addiction, you have to create the foundation for it. We need to allocate some of the profits from oil to investments in the energy transition. Invest in green hydrogen, wind and solar energy. Brazil is going to do this for climate justice.
Is it logical to extract more oil to prepare for oil depletion?
Abandoning fossil fuels by statute is impossible because a global energy collapse will occur. Brazil is the country with the greatest comparative advantage, as it already has a 45% clean energy matrix and a 90% clean electricity matrix. The president said Petrobras needs to stop being an oil exploration company and quickly transform into an energy production company.
The Senate just approved new benefits for coal-fired power plants. How do you evaluate this decision?
It was a sign that went against the efforts that should have been made. The whole global discussion is to eliminate inefficient fossil energy subsidies. It can’t be said that the vote was rushed, as it lasted only six minutes. It’s ridiculous that something so complex could be voted on in six minutes on the eve of the biggest event to combat climate change. It is very difficult to look at what happened in Paraná (Friday’s passage of a tornado, see details below) and understand that instead of helping, our legislators are working to make the problem even worse. It’s very difficult. This is not a contradiction, but a regression.
What about new changes to the environmental licensing rules in the same MP?
The proposal is that licenses would not even have to go through the Council of Government. Projects involving hydropower plants and reservoirs are already considered strategic. It has an address. The Belo Monte Channel is a large tailings dam in the state of Minas Gerais. These are interests that go against society’s policies and endanger lives.
Lobby groups active in parliament also participated in COP30. How do we deal with them?
Those who put public interest, protection of life, and ethics first cannot operate according to the logic of lobbying. We need to solve one of the major problems humanity has ever faced: the possibility of destroying not only our lives, but the conditions of life given to us. This is our ethical obligation going forward. There are negotiators, civil society leaders, and business leaders who are passionate about public ethics. Private companies must also have a public interest. After all, it creates jobs and produces to meet the needs of the community.
What was the outcome of the summit meeting held before COP30?
The summit yielded positive results that will have an impact on the COP negotiation process. Leaders expressed concern over the fact that climate change is already a reality, and unfortunately it was once again affected by the passage of a tornado in the state of Paraná. President Lula, the leader of this COP, has made our agenda clear. In addition to the mandated adaptation and financing topics (on the official agenda), additional topics such as NDCs and the transition away from fossil fuels were also taken up.
How do we know if a COP is successful or unsuccessful?
To do it successfully, we need to imbue ourselves with a collective spirit. 198 countries will come together to decide by agreement how to accelerate efforts to keep the global temperature rise from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius. We need to create a map to end deforestation and fossil fuel use. Is it difficult? and. Is there a contrary position? he does that. But if we could approve the goals in Dubai, why not approve the roadmap now?
The Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) has a lot of political support, but investors are still small.
I’m really excited about TFFF. The goal was to reach COP30 with the Fund ready to receive its first contributions. It was our passion and it took a lot of effort. This fund is under management and has already exceeded US$6 billion, so we feel that we have already achieved great success. I am confident that we can achieve our objective of allocating 20% of resources to indigenous peoples and traditional communities and funding payments for protected forest areas and the ecosystem services these forests provide. This fund has been established and will gradually expand its financial base. With saucers in hand, we are transforming the logic of giving into the logic of investment.
Will the US boycott really have a negative impact on COP30?
The United States is the world’s richest country and the second largest emitter after China. Is this fair? Of course. But this increases our responsibilities and requires greater efforts of leadership, cooperation and solidarity. Navigation charts are important because they teach us how to continue navigating rough seas like the current ones.
What specific outcomes are expected from COP30?
We need to help the world fairly address the causes and impacts of climate change. Addressing the causes means moving away from dependence on the use of fossil fuels. The result of doing the right thing on the adaptation agenda. And we need to reach the US$1.3 trillion that experts say is needed to support the most vulnerable countries experiencing the effects of global climate change.
Resources for adaptation must also be global. People suffering from floods in Rio Grande do Sul, droughts in Africa, and floods in Bangladesh are not in a position to solve their problems locally. We must be clear that extreme climate events are caused by emissions from everywhere, including the United States, China, and the European Union.
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