Sovereignty! Lula wants to reduce inequalities and create technological autonomy

When defending that climate is a matter of geopolitics, Cristina Reis highlights that Brazil assumes a global role by articulating sustainability, sovereignty and development

At a time when environmental crises and global disputes are increasingly intertwined, Brazil has reinforced its strategic position on the international stage. The extraordinary secretary of the Carbon Market of the Ministry of Finance, Cristina Reishighlighted that the country has started to play a leading role in discussions about sustainable development, social justice and tackling the climate crisis — debates that, according to her, go beyond the environmental dimension and have become central in contemporary geopolitics.

The statement was made this Friday (28/11), during the VI National Meeting of International Political Economy (ENEPI)held in Rio de Janeiro. The event, organized by the Postgraduate Program in International Political Economy at UFRJ, had the theme “Ruins in the Old World: in search of a new world order” and brought together experts to discuss the direction of the energy transition on the planet.

Brazil takes central position in climate negotiations

Cristina Reis highlighted that the advances made by the country in the environmental field are directly linked to the Ecological Transformation Plan (PTE)launched in 2023 and led by the Ministry of Finance. She recalled that, by taking an assertive stance, Brazil expanded its capacity to defend its interests in the midst of international disputes involving trade, technology, regulation and climate protection.

In the words of the secretary, “climate discussions are not merely environmental. They are pure geopolitics”. The phrase summarizes the understanding that, in the dispute for new development models, countries that lead the green agenda tend to occupy strategic positions in the global system — and Brazil, with its clean matrix and natural resources, accumulates considerable advantages.

Structuring the carbon market strengthens the country’s position

The representative of the Ministry of Finance detailed the initiatives that make up the PTE, with emphasis on the creation of the Brazilian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System (SBCE)foreseen na Lei nº 15,042/2025and for the advancement of Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy (TSB)established by Decree No. 12,705/2025. Both instruments were designed and structured by the Ministry of Finance and are now moving toward regulations that will provide legal certainty and predictability to the market.

According to Reis, these initiatives gained a global scale during the COP 30in Belém (PA), with the launch of Open Coalition of Regulated Carbon Markets and the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF). The proposals have already received support from different countries interested in models that integrate environmental preservation, economic development and international cooperation.

Strategic advantages place Brazil in a privileged position

Cristina Reis stated that “the key to sustainability” opens up a range of opportunities for the country, especially in areas where Brazil already demonstrates technological and productive robustness. She highlighted the biofuelsan example of how innovation and comparative advantages can drive a new development cycle.

However, the secretary considered that there are still profound challenges to face. She mentioned the historical structural problems that permeate Brazilian society and economy, warning that environmental advances will only make sense if they are accompanied by a reduction in social and regional inequalities. At this point, he reinforced that the PTE seeks precisely this balance, by aligning environmental commitment and social justice.

Ecological transformation is seen as a new economic paradigm

For Cristina Reis, the Ecological Transformation Plan presents itself as a structuring milestone for the Brazilian economy: “It is the new economic, technological, productive and cultural paradigm in which the country can resolve inequalities, generate decent work and have environmental and climate sustainability”.

She explained that this change involves topics such as land use, circular economy, waste management, water security and the development of a new national production matrix. The transition is being accompanied by regulatory, fiscal, financial and monitoring instruments created within the scope of the PTE, many of them already with concrete results — such as fundraising via Sustainable Sovereign Bondswhich reinforce the Climate Fund.

Academic debate reinforces the importance of the energy transition

Cristina Reis’s participation in the panel “The geopolitics of energy transition” highlighted the convergence between academia and government in the search for solutions to the climate crisis. Dialogue, she highlighted, is essential for the country to continue advancing robust public policies, capable of positioning Brazil as an environmental leader in a world that is trying to reorganize its priorities in light of the planet’s limits.

Amid international disputes, the message from the Treasury representative is clear: sovereignty, today, is also built with environmental policy. And Brazil, it seems, decided to occupy this space with firmness and strategic vision.

With information from Agência Gov | via MFaz