5 Insights from the Brazil Climate Summit on the Road to COP30

As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil the Brazil Climate Summit Europe returned to the Maison de L’Amérique Latine in Paris, on 26 May. The event was presented by the Brazil Climate Institute, co- organised by INSEAD, with silver sponsorship from the Hoffmann Institute and Knowledge Partners BCG. With nearly 87% of Brazil's electricity sourced from renewables and vast potential in green commodities, the country is poised to lead on issues ranging from the clean energy transition to global sustainable agriculture. Brazil’s role as a catalyst for sustainable investment and innovation is coming into sharp focus as the OECD estimates a need for over $6.9 trillion annually in climate infrastructure by 2030. This year’s summit offered strategic climate dialogue as Brazil and Europe align for the low-carbon transition on the road to COP30.

Here are the 5 key insights provided by the BCS team:

1. Solutions Exist: Implementation Must Be Prioritsed

In the keynote Ambassador Liliam Chagas framed COP30 as a turning point and highlighted Brazil’s ambitious NDC targets* and policies aimed at transforming agriculture and positioning the country as a global hub for green products and solutions. Nigel Topping (COP26 former UN Climate Change High-Level Champion & Co-founder of Ambition Loop), Michel Frédeau (Senior Advisor e Partner Emeritus, BCG) and Jorge Hargrave (Director, Maraé Investimentos) reminded the participants that most solutions to reach net zero are already available; implementation of these solutions however needs to be a priority. 

*NDCs or Nationally Determined Contributions are national climate action plans by each country under the Paris Agreement

Ambassador Liliam Chagas, COP 30 Lead Negotiator and Director for Climate, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivering the Keynote speech

2. Brazil can move up the value chain and expand exports of low-carbon steel and aluminium

Ricardo Pierozzi (Managing Director and Partner, BCG) presented BCG’s latest report “Seizing Brazil's potential as a global hub for green industrial products”. The report outlines how much greener Brazil's commodities are compared to those of leading global producers. It also highlights levers to further decarbonise them and discusses how the EU could reduce Scope 3 emissions by importing less carbon-intensive products. According to this report there are opportunities for Brazil to move up the value chain and expand exports of low-carbon steel and aluminium to the EU, offering up to 25% emissions reduction for European companies and unlocking €10–15 billion in green investment opportunities.  Brazilian steel could become as much as 4x greener than China's, and its aluminium 7x greener than the world average. Several key initiatives by the private sector (such as increased use of scrap, replacement of coal with biogas and biomass, and branding of low-carbon products), as well as by the public sector (such as blended finance initiatives, platforms for foreign investment flows, and a national emissions trading system), already point the South American giant in the right direction, despite current structural challenges.

3. Brazil's Biofuels as a Blueprint for other Emerging Economies? 

As a global leader in agriculture and commodity exports couple with a nearly 90% of electricity coming from renewables, Brazil is uniquely positioned to lead the climate transition. Daniel Godinho (Sustainability Director, WEG), Faustine Delasalle (CEO, Mission Possible Partnership), Claudia Martinez Ochoa (Head Private Equity of Asia & Latin America, Proparco) and Arthur Ramos (Managing Director and Partner, BCG) discussed about the challenge of moving up the value chain. This includes managing cost of capital and FX risks, investing in infrastructure (e.g. grid connection) and creating clear policies to support industrial transition and market creation (domestic and export). Brazil holds strong potential to replace fossil fuels with biofuels and achieve negative emissions through practices like biochar. Felipe Monteiro (Professor of Strategy, INSEAD), Bruno Serapião (CEO, Atvos) and Axel Reinaud (Co-founder & CEO, NetZero) highlighted how Brazil can be a replicable model in the Global South, with an urgent need to scale low-carbon solutions and circularity investments.

4. Green lithium to impact global markets

Sigma Lithium’s case, was presented by Marcelo Paiva (A10 Invest Co-Founder and Co-Chairperson Sigma Lithium) and Henrich Greve (Professor of Entrepreneurship, INSEAD). It illustrated how Brazil’s green lithium can impact global markets, reducing emissions and environmental impact while delivering significant economic and social benefits. In addition to Lithium, many green hydrogen projects are being developed globally, but only a few have reached Final Investment Decisions (FIDs). Key enablers identified by project leaders include shareholder backing, access to large-scale capital, clear regulations, smart grid access strategies, shared infrastructure to reduce costs and de-risk investments and integration with upstream logistics. On the demand side, early offtake agreements and corporate levers, such as green procurement mandates and well-defined grant programs were also brought to the table. 

5. Tropical forest restoration should be positioned as a financial asset 

A roundtable, on the topic of Tropical Forest Restoration, explored supply and policy frameworks, with leaders highlighting the need for blended finance to reduce early-stage risks. They discussed the importance of robust standards, corporate commitment and trusted verification mechanisms to unlock demand and decarbonise the supply chains, while also working closely with suppliers to reduce overall emissions. Finally, leaders reinforced the need to position tropical reforestation as an asset class to attract long-term capital and drive innovation in financing structures and risk mitigation tools.

Brazil’s presidency of COP30 in Belém marks a historic opportunity for the Global South to set the tone for global climate action. The Brazil Climate Summit underscored the country's unique position to drive decarbonisation through green exports, renewable energy and nature-based solutions. We look forward to the 2026 Brazil Climate Summit to reflect on the progress made.

Maison de L’Amérique Latine

Congratulations to the INSEAD MBA organising team Bernardo Valladares, Leonardo Correia, Lucas Pinto, Lucas Sacramento, Natália Müller, Renan Carvalho, Sabrine Lowy, Sergio Machado, Victoria Raymundo

You can catch up and watch the conversations here.