The Third Green Economy Forum calls for actions to materialize for the green transition

São Paulo, Sep 4 (EFE) - The need to implement actions to accelerate the transition to a green economy and the challenges of COP30 in the current complex geopolitical context were some of the topics addressed this Thursday at the third edition of the Latin American Green Economy Forum (FLEV), organized by the EFE Agency in São Paulo.

Representatives of NGOs, expert decision-makers, and business representatives agreed that this is a crucial moment for the planet and that it is imperative to move from words to actions, two months before the global climate summit, which will be held in the city of Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.

COP30, a "before and after"

With a hopeful tone, COP30 Executive Director Ana Toni, from Brazil, stated in a video that the event will mark a "before and after" in the way we address climate finance globally.

In this regard, former Peruvian minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global leader of climate and energy at WWF International, emphasized that "it's important to know how to navigate" a COP, and that to do so, it's necessary to recognize that it's like a "circus with many stages," where the first—and "most difficult"—is the negotiating table between the parties. However, that's not the only one, and in the others, it's easier to reach common ground.

And, although he described the mandated objectives of this COP30 as "modest," he explained that Brazil can compensate by focusing on implementing what was agreed upon at previous conferences and on the need to involve the private sector.

Miguel Ángel Oliver, president of the EFE Agency, organizer of the Latin American Forum, warned in his speech that "we must act now" to implement the agreements and translate the concept of climate justice into action.

He also expressed hope for the November climate summit, which he sees as an opportunity "for the real implementation of climate commitments."

Although the world climate summit brings together virtually every country in the world, Márcio Astrini, executive secretary of Climate Observatory, the main network of civil society organizations dedicated to environmental protection in Brazil, said that, politically speaking, "talking about climate" is different in Latin America than in Europe.

In Latin America, public opinion considers climate to be a problem. However, it is not always prioritized when allocating public budgets, as there are "survival" issues that capture governments' attention, such as "food on the plate," basic sanitation, and securing employment.

The challenge has a name and surname: Donald Trump

Among the challenges raised throughout the day, ranging from forest conservation and changing the development model to ensuring food security, one has a name. It is US President Donald Trump, who since taking office has adopted a climate change denial stance and dismantled environmental policies, in addition to abandoning the Paris Agreement, as he did during his first term.

In this regard, experts called on the financial sector to exert greater pressure on governments, as some, such as the Republican government, seem to focus more on market issues than on the climate agenda.

In this regard, the United Nations Development Program's resident representative in Brazil, Claudio Providas, cited the case of Miami's "luxury condominiums," many of which "a 10 or 20 centimeter rise in sea level" will make them uninhabitable.

Providas was one of the experts who participated in the "America Asks" segment, one of the new features of this third edition of the forum, in which speakers answered questions from ordinary citizens throughout Latin America.

The 3rd FLEV was sponsored by ApexBrasil, Brazil's export and investment promotion agency; Norte Energia, the concessionaire of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant; and Lots Group, a company that provides solutions for the decarbonization of the logistics sector.

It also included collaboration from Imaflora, the Climate Observatory, and IBMEC University, in whose auditorium the meeting was held. EFE

adm/cms/nvm