André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President: Agriculture is absolutely central to combating climate change

The Brazilian COP30 Presidency launched the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), an innovative mechanism to finance forest conservation that integrates biodiversity and livelihoods. In this interview, the president explains its impact, as well as FAO’s technical support for the new fund.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is collaborating with the COP30 presidency on the development of the TFFF, contributing its technical expertise in forest monitoring.

In this interview, André Corrêa do Lago, president of COP30, analyzes the role of agriculture in climate action, progress in financing, and the opportunities opening up for Latin America and the Caribbean.

-As President of COP30, what message would you like to convey regarding the urgency of integrating climate action with food security and rural development policies?

One of the main topics of COP30 was the relationship between climate change and agriculture. I believe that was a major contribution of this COP and, therefore, closely related to what will be discussed at FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

We must remember that the climate debate is typically structured around two themes: mitigation, focused on reducing emissions, and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture was central to all these discussions at COP30, and we had a major debate on the architecture of tropical agriculture.

We must not only consider emissions from agriculture—since that falls under mitigation—but also the impacts of climate change on agriculture, such as changes in rainfall patterns.

The main achievement of COP30 was to emphasize implementation—in other words, we must go far beyond mere negotiation; we must take the necessary steps to combat climate change. The role of agriculture is absolutely central.

-What progress does COP30 aim to push forward to support Latin America and the Caribbean in financing their climate adaptation efforts?

Climate finance is absolutely key and has been a topic of debate since the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. But we must also remember that significant progress has been made in this discussion.

Brazil, together with Azerbaijan, is developing the Roadmap on Climate Finance, with the goal of mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries starting in 2035.

The first part of this work has already been presented, and a new chapter focusing on the analysis of financing sources is expected to be published. The challenge is to identify mechanisms that will expand the resources available to developing countries.

In this context, agriculture is a strategic sector, particularly in countries with high productive capacity and a key role in global food security.

-What opportunities does COP30 offer to promote regional cooperation and investments in sustainable agriculture and agri-food innovation?

The Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) is a Brazilian-led initiative that builds on various previous experiences and aims to address a specific need: financing forest conservation.

We already have mechanisms for reducing deforestation, such as REDD+, which even led to the Amazon Fund. We also have the possibility of obtaining resources for restoration through carbon credits. But we did not yet have a mechanism designed specifically for conservation.

The TFFF is a crucial step because it is creating a new approach. It is a very specific approach to conservation that also creates a new way to  obtain resources.

The TFFF introduces a new approach focused on this objective and proposes a different way to mobilize resources. In this sense, it represents one of the main contributions of COP30 in the forestry sector.

FAO plays a key role in its development, providing a comprehensive vision of forests and strengthening its technical foundation.

-How can the Tropical Forests Forever Fund transform global incentives and accelerate the reversal of deforestation?

The TFFF incorporates an innovative monitoring approach. It not only takes into account the climate aspect—that is, the emissions or carbon sequestration role of forests—but also considers the dimensions of biodiversity and the livelihoods of forest communities.

Because it takes so many factors into account, accurate monitoring and calculation of what is happening in the forest is essential to the fund’s credibility.

FAO has decades of widely recognized expertise and is already working to ensure that the TFFF starts with the immense credibility of a robust accounting and monitoring system.

-What strategic role can FAO play in strengthening the Fund’s eligibility criteria and technical implementation?

One of the outcomes of COP30 was that the Brazilian presidency is developing two roadmaps to be completed before the start of COP31. One of these roadmaps concerns the implementation of a decision made in Dubai to end deforestation by 2030 and increase global forest cover.

Collaboration with FAO is key to developing this roadmap. During a recent meeting in Rome with Director-General QU Dongyu, we discussed the need for technical support to strengthen this work, and we were very well received. I am very excited about this work, which will receive tremendous support from FAO.