Brazil is stepping onto the world stage with a bold idea: a brand-new forum to resolve the growing tensions where climate action meets global trade. Announced by Brazil’s COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, the proposal is set to be unveiled at the WTO’s annual public forum and launched officially during COP30 this November. The plan includes two working groups—one dedicated to trade impacts of climate policies and another focused on the energy transition—designed to foster real dialogue between climate negotiators and trade policymakers. For countries like Brazil, India, and South Africa, the urgency is clear: policies such as the EU’s anti-deforestation import ban and carbon border tariffs are threatening their exports, even as they work to meet sustainability goals.
Brazil argues that neither the WTO nor UN climate talks are equipped to solve this dual challenge, leaving producers—especially in the Global South—without fair solutions. The proposed forum could bridge that gap, offering practical tools like accessible deforestation-monitoring systems that satisfy both local farmers and EU buyers. The EU has expressed cautious support but prefers using existing institutions. Whether this new platform takes shape or not, one truth is clear: as climate policies reshape trade, the voices of developing nations must be part of the conversation. More