COP30 in Brazil: Pres Ali to push for “sensible policies” to drive global energy transition

– says Guyana has solutions for fair systems to be implemented

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday travelled to Belém, Brazil, for the United Nations (UN) annual climate meeting – COP30 (Conference of the Parties), where he is expected to present solutions to world leaders that would foster global energy transition.
As an oil-producing nation, Guyana has long maintained a position that development and environmental protection are not opposing goals but are twin pillars of a new model for prosperity.
This was recently reiterated by President Dr Irfaan Ali, who pointed out on Tuesday evening that the global transition away from fossil fuels must be guided by science, economic reality, and fairness.
“Even in a net-zero world, oil and gas will still play a role. The question is not whether the world uses them, but who produces them under what condition. Guyana is determined to be a part of the solution. We are one of the lowest emission oil producers in the world, and ours is the kind of oil that should power the remainder of the fossil fuel era,” he contended.
According to the Guyanese leader, while in Brazil, “I will call for sensible policies to drive the global energy transition – policies informed by science, fairness, and inclusion.”
He pointed out that for too long the COP Forum has been a battle of extremism between two forces – something which he declares needs to change. He said it is now time for practical and real solutions to be the debate, and not extreme positions by any group.
To this end, President Ali outlined that Guyana has already demonstrated to the world it has not only developed innovative ideas but ones that work to bolster the country’s environmental stewardship and plans to present these initiatives, like the sale of carbon credits to COP, as a solution to mitigate climate change.
“We believe in solutions, and we are taking a number of solutions on financing, on tropical forests, and on biodiversity. We’re taking those solutions to COP,” he declared. “The developing world has outlined many instruments that can lead to a fair system, and we believe as a country that this COP, and every COP ahead of us, must address the system. And we have to create a system that is fair.”
“The solutions are all there. The system must now include those solutions, and we will be actively pursuing this in Belém. Because of our record, we can speak with clarity. Because of our record, we can speak with integrity. Because of our record, we can speak with conviction. Because of our record, we can speak about success,” Ali contended.
COP30 is slated to be held in Brazil from November 10 to 21, 2025. Set for the city of Belém, in the Brazilian State of Pará, this will be the first time the global climate change summit is held in the Amazon region, the world’s largest tropical rainforest – part of which runs through Guyana.
With a tropical forest that takes up 86 per cent of its landmass, Guyana has the second-highest percentage of forest cover on earth and one of the lowest deforestation rates. The forest stores 19.5 gigatonnes of carbon and sequesters more than 153 million tonnes annually.
But with many developing countries still experiencing energy insecurity and energy poverty, President Ali had previously pointed out that a world without fossil fuel cannot happen by 2050 – an objective set out in the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
Guyana’s climate change policies are largely driven by its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 – a sustainable development framework that integrates economic growth with environmental preservation, focusing on fossil fuel use, climate finance, and valuing tropical forests, among other priorities.
Already, Guyana has been earning millions of (US) dollars from initiatives like the sale of its ART-TREES certified carbon credits – a model which President Ali says is one of the finest forest models that the world can follow.
In fact, Guyana is now co-chairing the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP) alongside the United Kingdom (UK), bringing together nearly 40 countries committed to halting and reversing forest loss by 2030.
Earlier this year, the Partnership came to Guyana for its first all-member meeting in this part of the world, where the members studied Guyana’s model and shared lessons on financing governance and results. Through the FCLP, Guyana has worked with Brazil to advance the Forest Finance Roadmap, which sets out how to close the forest finance gap through a full menu of mechanisms such as jurisdictional carbon credits, result-based payments, concessional public finance, and innovative private investment.
“When we speak about solutions, that is what we are talking about. We have long advocated for a menu of options, and now we travel to Belém; the roadmap has brought our approach to the global level,” he posited.
While at COP30, President Ali is also expected to continue his mission to put biodiversity preservation and conservation on the global table. Back in July, Guyana successfully hosted the inaugural Global Biodiversity Summit and will be presenting the outcomes from that summit to COP30.
To date, 14 countries have joined as founding members of the Global Biodiversity Alliance and agreed on a concrete action plan. The Alliance Secretariat will be based in Georgetown, where the first meeting of the founding members will be hosted next year.