You never forget your first COP. Especially when it takes place in your own country. A country that reflects so many of the climate challenges our planet faces.
Right in the heart of the Amazon, those who attended COP30 in Belém, Pará, experienced firsthand what global warming really means. It was also a place where Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities (descendants of Afro-Brazilian communities formed by formerly enslaved people), and other sectors of Brazilian society took to the streets and rivers of Belém to protest against global warming and urge thousands of delegates from nearly 200 countries to find real solutions — so that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren can inherit a sustainable planet.
The word sustainability has never been heard so often as it was during those days, whether from governments, businesses, or society as a whole. Everyone has a role to play. And COP is where they all come together, across thousands of panel discussions held at official venues and throughout the city of Belém.
Through the lens of DiversaCom, the sustainability agency of Textual Comunicação, I could see how many companies and civil society organizations made a point of being there to communicate their commitments and take on new ones for a better future.
There was much discussion about the so-called “Roadmap,” which ultimately was not included in the final agreement. Its inclusion would have represented an important step forward, but I came away feeling optimistic.
Without these gatherings, and without the efforts made over the past decades, the situation would be worse. The world would be warmer, the polar ice caps would have melted further, and we would be experiencing even more climate-related disasters.
Can we accelerate progress? Absolutely. And we can improve these outcomes if we continue to believe in what we are doing and each do our part.
Here at DiversaCom, we believe in that mission and remain firmly committed to helping build a better world.
Here’s to COP30, here’s to Brazil, and here’s to planet Earth!
