‘Germany and Brazil are leading by example’
Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, explains why preserving the Amazon rainforest is vital and what makes German–Brazilian cooperation so special.
‘The COP carries a political, technical and, above all, ethical significance.’
What does it mean to you to welcome the global community to Belém?
Having COP30 in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, has many meanings because the three Rio Conventions and the Earth Charter were born here in this country in 1992. After 33 years, the UN climate conference returning to Brazil carries a political, technical and, above all, an ethical significance.
If we had listened to the warnings of the experts back then and had done our homework, we would not be facing the situation we are experiencing today: in the middle of a climate emergency with the loss of lives as well as economic, social and environmental damage. The Amazon rainforest is drastically affected by climate change. In Brazil, we know that even if we stop deforestation – we are committed to zero deforestation by 2030 – the tropical forests will still be affected if the world does not do its part to reduce CO2 emissions from coal, oil, and gas.
The Amazon rainforest is already losing moisture. In 2024, we saw more deforestation caused by climate change-related fires than by clearcutting. We have learned how to combat clearcutting, but it is much more difficult to prevent forest loss from fires. That holds true not only for Brazil, but for the whole world. So, this is a warning, a warning that the point of no return may already be on the verge of happening in one of the most sensitive and important places on the planet.
What are Brazil’s main priorities for COP30?
Our priorities follow a dual track. We have national priorities and want them to converge with global ones that came from COP29. At the same time, we have to address additional issues that will shape the perspective for the next 10 years under the Climate Change Convention. Among them is the question: How are we going to implement the agreements and commitments that have already been made? Especially when we think of the consensus from the United Arab Emirates, where it was affirmed that global warming must not exceed 1.5⁰ C, that we must address loss and damage – the first contributions to the loss and damage fund are already there –, and that making the means of implementation viable is urgent.
That goes hand in hand with some key agendas that are at the core of the solution: tripling renewables, doubling energy efficiency, and ensuring a just and planned transition away from fossil fuels and deforestation. These topics are not on the negotiation agenda, but if there is no follow-up, the Dubai decision will be without practical effect.
You have ambitious goals for COP30 …
The word COP – a great joint effort by 198 countries – raises the question: a joint effort for what? A joint effort to implement – but implement what? It has been decided that we must transition away from fossil fuels and deforestation. That requires a course of action that will set a new direction for the next 10 years.
I say that COP30 must be a landmark COP, like the climate conference in Copenhagen, the Paris Agreement and other milestones. This COP should strengthen multilateralism, prevent the fragmentation of climate cooperation and provide perspective on the implementation agenda.
‘If we had heeded the warnings in 1992 and done our homework, we would not be in the middle of a climate emergency.’
Germany and Brazil have been cooperating for decades under a long-standing and trusted partnership that goes back to the 1960s. Brazil is no longer considered to be a classical developing country but an important global player. Thus, the nature of our cooperation has changed over the years. Today, the focus lies on climate protection, biodiversity conservation and the expansion of renewable energy. A key goal is the protection of the Amazon rainforest, supported through initiatives such as the Amazon Fund, to which Germany is one of the chief contributors. Other priorities include integrated urban development, fair and sustainable economy, vocational training, and the promotion of social equity. Our cooperation is based on mutual respect, shared interests and the common aim of supporting the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Germany and Brazil have a long-standing partnership on climate and environmental issues. What is the importance of this kind of cooperation in today’s geopolitical context and why?
Our cooperation carries great significance in this challenging geopolitical context. First, because it is a partnership of many decades, firmly established over time, not only in terms of political relations and friendship between our countries, but also through concrete action, which is what makes the difference.
No relationship can be sustained by speeches alone. There must be reciprocal action, solidarity and partnership. And we can achieve this through technical cooperation, with the exchanges we manage to promote, or through cooperation in both financial and human resources.
At the same time, we are working together in a direction that reflects Brazil’s priorities and Germany’s too. For many years, these priorities have shaped our actions. The PPG7 (editor’s note: a programme to conserve the Brazilian rainforest from the 1990s), for example, was the beginning of several pilot programmes that later became public policy, were scaled up and today stand on their own.
This is very important because we are also witnessing painful developments elsewhere, with the breakdown of historic cooperation, solidarity and partnerships. Germany and Brazil are leading by example: preserving our ties, bonds of friendship, trade and, above all, solidarity.
Launched in 1992, the PPG7 was the first major international initiative aimed at protecting tropical forests and promoting sustainable development in the Amazon. The programme brought together the Brazilian Government, the G7 countries, the European Commission, the World Bank and a wide range of local partners and civil society organisations. From the very beginning, Germany played a central role, contributing both technically and financially through GTZ (now GIZ) and KfW. Many of today’s programmes – such as the Amazon Fund and the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation – were inspired by the lessons and results of the PPG7. It remains a historic milestone in Brazil–Germany cooperation for the protection of tropical forests.
Do you remember the moment when you first realised the importance of protecting the planet?
I have always had a relationship with nature protection, but my political awareness first emerged at the age of 17, when I saw Chico Mendes and Father Clodovis Boff at a meeting held by the Pastoral da Terra (editor’s note: a Catholic church organisation supporting land reforms and rural workers). Then I realised that what we were doing at the rubber plantation was defending the environment, defending ecology. And from then on, my awareness grew through the relationships I built with people like Fernando Gabeira and Alfredo Sirkis from the Brazilian Green Party, which had a very strong connection with the green movement in Europe.
But the awareness that I was doing something to defend the planet came when I realised that protecting the Amazon was important for the entire world – and what others were doing on the other side of the planet was just as important for us
Marina Silva
holds the post of Environment and Climate Change Minister; it is her second term in this office, as she was also a member of the Lula cabinet from 2003 to 2008. She was born in the Amazon region of Acre and is one of the most fervent and active defenders of a strong course of action on climate mitigation and adaptation.
Her cause is to save the Amazon, and her goal to achieve this is zero deforestation by 2030.
Mayana Witt supported this interview production.