by Marina Novaes, Brazil Researcher and Representative, BHRRC; Thales Machado, Advisor for the Defense of Socio-Environmental Rights at Conectas Human Rights
As Brazil prepares to host COP30 in Belém, it faces a defining test: will it lead the world toward a just energy transition — or repeat the extractive mistakes of its past?
Brazil has been presented with a rare chance to reshape its international image: from a major exporter of commodities and stage of socio-environmental conflicts to a leader of a just energy transition that combines prosperity, rights protection and sustainability. But this leadership will only be legitimate if the government turns multilateral promises into concrete action.
In his September 2025 speech at the UN General Assembly, President Lula defended multilateralism as the path to tackle the climate crisis and highlighted COP30 as a symbol of Brazilian leadership. The speech was well received, but the real test begins now: Brazil must show that its commitment is not merely rhetorical, and that leadership is also expressed through internal coherence.
That coherence has been questioned throughout the year by civil society, as the country has witnessed the dismantling of one of its main socio-environmental and climate protection instruments – environmental licensing – and, after months of public pressure, the authorisation by IBAMA to explore oil in the mouth of the Amazon River.
These principles also resonated during the UN Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights, held in São Paulo in April, when more than 30 civil society organisations denounced the risks of large-scale energy and mining projects being implemented without transparency and in violation of rights. The message was clear: we cannot reproduce old extractivist patterns in the name of a transition that should be just.
In the same spirit, Indigenous and Quilombola peoples launched their own nationally determined contributions (NDCs), a historic gesture showing that they are not only impacted communities, but also protagonists of solutions. By placing their territories and traditional knowledge at the center of the agenda and asserting autonomy and their own consultation protocols, the Indigenous and Quilombola NDCs strengthen Brazil’s legitimacy as COP30 host and inspire other communities around the world.
The conference will therefore be a test of credibility for the government. What is at stake is not only the speed of the energy transition, but its capacity to be just. This means grounding the transition on three central pillars: shared prosperity, mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, and an enabling environment for civil society. Each of these pillars points to concrete changes that must guide policies, investments, and negotiations.
Shared prosperity must be at the heart of the transition. It means creating business models that ensure dignity at work, respect collective rights, and promote production chains that combine environmental conservation with income generation. Renewable energy projects will only gain legitimacy if they genuinely improve the lives of communities and workers, especially in the Amazon, the Caatinga, and other strategic biomes.
Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence is equally essential. Governments need to adopt regulations that oblige companies and financial institutions to identify, prevent, and remedy violations. Self-regulation and voluntary commitments have already shown their limits; it is time to move toward binding mechanisms that guarantee transparency and real accountability.
Brazil’s COP30 presidency has the opportunity to align its international rhetoric with domestic practice – overcoming contradictions, avoiding setbacks such as new investments in fossil fuels, and ensuring that the energy transition is built on transparency, participation, and respect for rights.
Finally, a civic space that strengthens civil society is what gives legitimacy to the transition. This means real consultation, fair negotiations, and protection for community and environmental leaders. Latin America remains the most dangerous region in the world for environmental defenders, and no energy transition can be just if it continues to rely on intimidation and violence.
Beyond international commitments, Brazil has also sought to structure its national energy transition policy. Important instruments have been created, such as the National Energy Transition Policy (PONTE), the National Energy Transition Plan (PLANTE), and the National Energy Transition Forum (FONTE). However, the legitimacy of these instruments depends on their being built in a participatory and transparent manner — not as spaces that merely validate decisions already made. So far, there are signs that the PLANTE’s drafting process has been conducted unilaterally, with little transparency, as stated in an open letter from civil society organizations, which reinforces the urgency of aligning discourse and practice in domestic energy policy.
By articulating these pillars, Brazil’s COP30 presidency has the opportunity to align its international rhetoric with domestic practice – overcoming contradictions, avoiding setbacks such as new investments in fossil fuels, and ensuring that the energy transition is built on transparency, participation, and respect for rights.
The success of COP30 will not be measured by climate ambition alone, but by Brazil’s ability to place human rights at the heart of a just energy transition and to exercise climate leadership with legitimacy, courage, and example.
