The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was born in Brazil, during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio-92. On that occasion, representatives from various countries gathered in Rio de Janeiro and, for the first time, collectively acknowledged the urgency of addressing climate change.

From this initiative emerged the Conference of the Parties (COP), which has since become the main space for international negotiation and cooperation to tackle climate challenges. Every year, leaders, scientists, organizations, and representatives of civil society come together to discuss pathways and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

More than three decades later, the cycle comes full circle. From the Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro to the vast green expanse of the Amazon, Brazil once again hosts the conference it helped create. Belém, in the state of Pará, will welcome delegations from around the world between November 10 and 21 for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30), in pursuit of progress in global dialogue on reduction, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change.

The Institute for Energy and Environment (IEMA), which will celebrate 20 years of activity in 2026, will take part in the event with a delegation composed of André Luis Ferreira, Executive Director; project managers David Tsai and Ricardo Baitelo; researcher Felipe Barcellos; and Isis Nóbile Diniz, Communications Coordinator.

For seven years, IEMA has been working in the Amazon, the region hosting this edition of the conference, contributing to expand debates, information, and public policies aimed at improving the quality of life of those who live there. The organization focuses particularly on ensuring access to adequate, high-quality, and public electricity, and on promoting transportation and energy infrastructure for the Amazon, not over its territory. Such efforts benefit not only local populations but ultimately all Brazilians, and perhaps, the planet as a whole.

During the conference, the team will share insights and proposals on key themes for a just and inclusive energy transition, such as emissions from the energy and industrial sectors, transport infrastructure, biofuels, thermoelectric generation, renewable energy, and access to electricity in the North region.

As the conference returns to the country where it all began, expectations are high that COP 30 in Belém will strengthen Brazil’s role as a leading voice in global discussions on climate, biodiversity, and socio-environmental justice. And that organizations like IEMA will continue to advance this dialogue grounded in data, science, and a commitment to the populations most directly affected by climate change and social exclusion.

Follow IEMA’s schedule at COP 30:

• November 10 (Monday)

From Measurement to Action: Transparency in GHG Inventories and Integration with Corporate Climate Neutrality Strategies
Location: Green Zone / Brazil Pavilion – Uruçu Auditorium
Time: 2:15 p.m.
With David Tsai, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 11 (Tuesday)

The Power of Technology in the Climate Crisis
Location: Casa Dourada (Rua Dr. Malcher, 15, Cidade Velha)
Time: 11 a.m.
With David Tsai, Project Manager at IEMA

Will Brazil fulfill its promise?
Location: Blue Zone / Side Event – Room 9
Time: 3 p.m.
With David Tsai, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 12 (Wednesday)

Challenges and Inconsistencies in Brazilian Energy Policy
Location: Blue Zone / Panda Pavilion
Time: 11:30 a.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

Sacrifice Zones and the False Transition: Impacts of LNG Infrastructure and Gas Policy Loopholes
Location: Amazon Climate Hub (R. Boaventura da Silva, 64 – Reduto)
Time: 5:30 p.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 13 (Thursday)

Technical and Economic Challenges of the Energy Transition: Barriers to Overcome and Proposed Solutions to Get There
Location: Amazon Climate Hub (R. Boaventura da Silva, 64 – Reduto)
Time: 9:30 a.m.
With David Tsai and Ricardo Baitelo, Project Managers at IEMA

Energy Transition Panel
Location: Casa da Mata Atlântica at Universidade da Amazônia – UNAMA (Av. Alcindo Cacela, 287, Umarizal)
Time: 1 p.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

Una mirada 360° a la infraestructura en la Amazonía: desafíos y propuestas para la conectividad socioecológica, los derechos socioambientales y la resiliencia climática
(A 360° View on Infrastructure in the Amazon: Challenges and Proposals for Socioecological Connectivity, Socio-environmental Rights, and Climate Resilience)
Location: Parque Zoobotânico do Museu Goeldi / IDB Space (Av. Gov. Magalhães Barata, 376)
Time: 3:30 p.m.
With André Luis Ferreira, Executive Director at IEMA

Just Transition to Avoid Climate Hell: Fossil Fuel Projects to Cancel and Strategies to Do So
Location: Blue Zone / Side Event – Room 4
Time: 4:45 p.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 14 (Friday)

Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Location: Blue Zone / Brazil Pavilion – Cumaru Auditorium
Time: 5:30 p.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 15 (Saturday)

Tropicalizing the Energy Transition: Biosolutions for Sustainability and Resilience
Location: Amazon Climate Hub (R. Boaventura da Silva, 64 – Reduto)
Time: 3 p.m.
With Isis Nóbile Diniz, Communications Coordinator at IEMA

• November 17 (Monday)

The Role of Socio-environmental Safeguards in a Just Transition
Location: CCCA Climate Hub, Center for Climate Crime Analysis (Travessa Capitão Pedro Albuquerque, 395, Cidade Velha)
Time: 10 a.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

The Role of Socio-environmental Safeguards in a Just Transition
Location: Green Zone / Belém +10 Pavilion
Time: 11:15 a.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

How to Face Climate Change
Location: COP Central / Institute of Arts and Sciences, Praça da República (Av. Pres. Vargas, 645)
Time: 2 p.m.
With Felipe Barcellos, Researcher at IEMA

Climate Emergency Brake Seminar
Location: Av. Marechal Hermes, 14 – Reduto
Time: 3 p.m.
With Felipe Barcellos, Researcher at IEMA

• November 18 (Tuesday)

Socio-environmental Challenges of the Energy Transition
Location: Amazon Climate Hub (R. Boaventura da Silva, 64 – Reduto)
Time: 11 a.m.
With Ricardo Baitelo, Project Manager at IEMA

• November 19 (Wednesday)

From Commitment to Implementation: Accelerating Methane Mitigation in Brazil
Location: Blue Zone / Super Pollutant Solutions Pavilion
Time: 3 p.m.
With Felipe Barcellos, Researcher at IEMA

There may be changes to the schedule. Stay tuned to the IEMA website for updates.