Amidst political fragmentation and the disproportionate influence of economic groups on environmental policies, the absence of INEL (National Institute of Clean Energy) at COP30 is a conscious choice of institutional coherence and responsibility.
COP30 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference), which was supposed to consolidate Brazil's leadership in the global environmental agenda, ended up reflecting what the country needs to reorganize: the disconnect between discourse and practice, and the predominance of economic interests over a long-term state vision.
The emptying of COP30 — logistically, politically, and symbolically — exposes a scenario in which the energy transition has ceased to be an effective priority and has become a matter of convenience.
The environmental debate, once anchored in planning and science, has become excessively rhetorical. In this context, the Ministry of the Environment is facing a process of institutional weakening resulting from budgetary choices and political priorities that have reduced its technical leadership.
INEL regrets this situation. Not only for the wasted opportunity to position Brazil as a global clean energy powerhouse, but also for the loss of institutional consistency at a time when the world expects not just words from the country, but coherence, governance, and results.
In contrast to the large forums, Brazil has already demonstrated that it is possible to achieve concrete progress when there is coordination and technical independence.
Provisional Measure 1.304, which dealt with the revision of the framework for micro and mini-distributed generation, was an emblematic example: faced with a divided sector and asymmetrical pressures, INEL and FREPEL, under the presidency of Congressman Lafayette de Andrada, played a decisive role in building technical consensus and preserving the balance between sustainability, legal certainty, and economic viability.
While COP30 is empty of promises, Brazil needs to rediscover the path to institutional efficiency. The challenge is not one of visibility, but of coherence and execution. It is in this spirit that INEL has chosen not to participate in the conference—a decision of a technical and strategic nature, focused on institutional coherence and efficiency in the use of public and private resources.
In times of fiscal constraints and a saturation of discourse, it is essential to prioritize what generates public value. INEL will continue to act, as it did in Provisional Measure 1.304, for regulatory efficiency, transparency, and the democratization of clean energy. And it continues to believe that Brazil can lead the world—provided it has the courage to put the collective interest above sectoral interests.
The opinions and information expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the author. Canal Solar.
