COP30, the Amazon, and the changing face of energy

Holding COP30, the international conference on climate change, in the heart of the Amazon for the first time sent a message louder than any mere protocol: this year, negotiations on the future of the planet were held in Belém, the capital of the Brazilian state of Pará, where the border with the natural world is still a dynamic one. The Amazon River flows just a few kilometres from the city known as Cidade das Mangueiras, while delegations from almost two hundred nations found themselves in the midst of forests, indigenous communities, new sustainable economy projects, and, above all, discussions on the future of energy. From 10 to 21 November 2025, Belém became the beating heart of the energy transition: a deliberate choice from Brazil led by President Lula, who sees his role as a “presidency for the Amazon” in a world where energy — as always — is synonymous with economics, geopolitics and the climate.

Energy first and foremost: the message from COP30. The word “energy” appears everywhere on the COP pavilions: in panels on the transition, inside events led by the International Energy Agency (IEA), at summits dedicated to renewables and electrification. Major multilateral institutions have confirmed that the challenge of planetary climate neutrality inevitable hinges on a stronger, more highly interconnected electricity system powered by clean sources. Yet COP30 closed on a sour note: there is no binding commitment to the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels in the final document. The full difficulty of international negotiations to balance climate targets against geopolitical pressures is revealed in the compromise called Mutirão, from a Portuguese term describing collective action for a shared goal. Paradoxically, it is this very weakness that further bolsters the message received from the panels dedicated to energy: without modern electricity infrastructure, without grids capable of integrating renewables in vast quantities, there is a risk that the transition will never evolve beyond the theoretical.

High-voltage discussions: grids, renewables and energy security. The Energy Transition Dialogues promoted during the months prior to the event by the IEA, together with the Brazilian Presidency of the COP, worked to balance three needs which often come into conflict in the real world: rapid decarbonisation; guaranteed security and stability for electricity systems; energy accessibility for citizens and businesses.

The real challenge of the global energy transition, which emerged clearly from Belém, is not simply building new renewable plants, but connecting them, making them interact. The Amazon itself is a prime example: an extremely vast territory where renewable energy, from hydroelectric power to off-shore wind power along the coast, often remains far from major urban centres.

One undeniable fact has emerged from the COP30 debates: every climate strategy is, first and foremost, a grid strategy. Without high-voltage lines, international interconnections, integrated storage systems, and the digitisation of infrastructure, climate targets remain nothing more than words on paper. COP30 has finally made this simple truth evident. The same theme arose over and over in speeches from energy ministers, in technical reports, and in panels with utility companies from various countries: the electricity grid paves the way for all the rest. Renewables are growing, but cannot reach consumers without major transmission backbones. Electrical consumption is rising due to the electrification of transport and industry, but demand cannot be satisfied without grid capacity. Artificial intelligence means energy-intensive data centres, but requires stability and resilience. The pathway revealed by COP30 is not an easy one, but its direction is unmistakable: investing in grids means investing in climate.

Between hope and uncertainty: a compromise between clean energy and fossil fuels. Over the duration of COP30, energy was once again a hot topic of global debate. One symbolic measure was the launch of the Belém 4X Pledge, with which a growing number of countries have committed themselves to quadrupling their use of “sustainable” fuels by 2035, integrating renewables, biofuels, and future clean technologies, with the IEA entrusted with monitoring.

This step foreshadows a leap: not just avoiding new fossil fuel infrastructure, but directing investments towards a truly decarbonised energy mix. At the same time, many contributions from the political, business and academic worlds described the electricity grid as the true nerve centre of the transition: it is not enough to produce green energy, that energy must also reach everywhere in a secure and stable manner. The final compromise, described as fragile by the international media, rests on strengthened climate financing, a “just transition” and support for adaptation and resilience, but does not set out a mandatory roadmap for the abandonment of fossil fuels. The final scorecard from COP30, then, is a complex one: while on the one hand, renewable energy and the transition are once again on the global agenda, on the other, there is no strong and binding directive requiring the phase-out of fossil fuels.

Renewable energy, then, is just one piece of the puzzle: perhaps the most visible, but not the most decisive. What will really make the difference is the ability to create infrastructures that can absorb, transport, and adapt to an energy system undergoing transformation. Intermittent renewables, peaks in demand, the electrification of industry and mobility, the digitisation of consumption: all of this requires strong lines, interconnections, balancing systems, and both stability and flexibility. At a time when many governments are hesitating to invest in a net rejection of fossil fuels, the grid is becoming the cornerstone of every credible energy strategy. The question is no longer where to produce energy, but how to get it where it needs to be, how to manage and safely distribute it. In Belém, this concept emerged unmistakably from numerous panels and debates. Energy was considered not just one element of the climate treaty, but a critical infrastructure for the future of the planet.