Crux Alliance outlines strategic “action agenda” at COP30

The Crux Alliance had a strong presence at this year’s climate negotiations, and while the formal outcomes fell short of the ambition needed, Alliance members proved that the most consequential climate progress at COP happens outside the negotiating rooms—where practical, solution-focused work on policy design, investment, and cross-sector collaboration is actively driving implementation. Through rigorous analysis and direct engagement with governments and stakeholders, Alliance experts are translating high-level commitments into actionable pathways for green industry, efficient buildings and cooling, and zero-emission transport.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Appliance Efficiency

CLASP was featured in over a dozen events at COP30 in Brazil, highlighting the key role of appliances in climate mitigation and adaptation, powering economic opportunity, and accelerating Brazil’s reindustrialization efforts. In a session hosted by Newsweek, Bishal Thapa, CLASP’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, highlighted the importance of cooling innovation. “Our quality of life depends on this cooling, but traditional approaches would cause record electricity increases at a time when costs are already surging and grids worldwide are strained,” said Bishal. During Crux’s event with Folha de S.Paulo, Edilaine Camillo, CLASP’s Brazil program lead, presented the Infoenergia Award to two journalists who recently completed a mentorship program organized by CLASP and local partner Bori, with support from Crux. The accolade celebrates excellence in energy efficiency reporting in Brazil.

Industry and Electric Power

Over two buzzing weeks in Belém, Agora experts—alongside global partners—highlighted a clear message: strong policy direction and targeted investment can rapidly transform energy and industrial systems. COP30 was a key moment to align industrial and energy transition strategies with climate goals, while leveraging the economic dynamics now driving the transition, including the falling costs of renewables and rapid expansion of electrification. Global South countries like Brazil can use this window to lead in clean supply chains—including for green iron, steel, and fertilisers—strengthening climate cooperation while advancing competitiveness, energy security, and socioeconomic development.

At various events and stakeholder workshops, including the Global Gateway Energy Talks and the Brazil-Germany Track 1.5 Dialogue, we underscored that international cooperation on industrial decarbonization, the creation of global markets for green products, and the alignment of regulatory frameworks for green hydrogen are major opportunities for sustainable growth and a just transition. Realising this potential requires bold industrial policy, ambitious investment, and strategic partnerships. Countries can build resilient, competitive industries by combining domestic production with international trade in materials such as green iron, thereby aligning decarbonisation and development.

Several new Agora publications provided analytical grounding for these discussions, including Agora Industry’s interactive global analysis of green iron trade, with deep dives for Brazil, the EU, and South Africa (Japan, China, and South Korea forthcoming). A separate policy brief outlines how to achieve climate-neutral steel by 2050, while accounting for the growing trend of steel producers positioning themselves as leaders in the transition to a low-carbon industry.

Asia was another central focus of Agora’s COP engagement, reflecting its growing role in global industrial and energy transitions. At the China Pavilion, highlights from our China team included discussions on the climate and financial implications of expanding primary plastics production across the region, as well as collective action to advance a green energy and inclusive climate future. We also co-organised a UNFCCC side event on China’s just transition efforts in major coal provinces, exploring lessons for other economies seeking to balance industrial development with rapid decarbonization.

Urban Mobility

Before and during COP30, ITDP CEO Heather Thompson and ITDP Brazil Director Clarisse Cunha Linke participated in over a dozen events spotlighting how sustainable, equitable urban mobility can drive climate progress. In Rio de Janeiro, ITDP joined global policymakers at the World Mayors Summit & Local Leaders Forum for a major fund announcement in support of Brazil’s electric mobility transition. 

ITDP Brazil and the Crux Alliance also convened over 50 regional stakeholders for an event focused on decarbonizing transport and leveraging climate finance for a just transition. ITDP’s participation in Belém itself showcased crucial transport policies alongside local progress in key ITDP regions, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and beyond. With transport grouped with energy and industry in the COP30 agenda, ITDP joined Crux Alliance peers and partners in elevating the role of well-funded, electric public transport. These discussions underlined vital actions needed to cut emissions, from electrifying buses to integrating active mobility, and the benefits for social, economic, and environmental development.

Vehicles and Fuel

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) played an active role at COP30 in Belém this year, ensuring transportation decarbonization remained a key topic throughout the discussions. ICCT participated in two closed-door workshops under the Presidency’s Action Agenda to confer about the ‘paths to accelerate solutions’ and promote implementation (road transport & urban mobility). In addition, ICCT co-organized three high-level side events focused on road transport electrification, air quality and clean mobility, and sustainable aviation fuel.  

At the Super Pollutant Solutions Pavilion, the ICCT hosted the Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment to announce a new partnership between ICCT, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and C40 Cities to accelerate the electrification of construction machinery. Tim Dallmann, director of ICCT’s International Partnerships Program, and Marcel Martin, ICCT’s Brazil Managing Director, were on the ground in Belém and collectively attended and spoke at 15+ events throughout the first week.

Under ICCT’s leadership, several key reports were launched, including:

• Toward net-zero mobility: Evaluating scenarios for road transport decarbonization in Brazil 
• COP30 Progress Update (Accelerating to Zero Coalition)
• Global ZEV Roadmap (ZEV Transition Council)

Heat pump initiative

For COP30, the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) participated virtually in an event in the Buildings and Cooling Pavilion called “Making Heat Pumps the New Normal for Clean Heating.” The event was co-organized by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and heat pump manufacturer Daikin Industries. Senior Advisor Duncan Gibb, representing RAP and the Clean Heat Forum, recorded a presentation shown during the event that discussed RAP’s recent work on heat pumps, highlighting how they are the leading technology for heating decarbonization and how public policy can encourage and increase heat pump adoption. The presentation also previewed an upcoming paper that ties in with this subject. 

That paper, titled “Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating,” outlines six principles for reforming energy pricing so that cheaper, cleaner electricity can drive the switch to heat pumps and low-carbon heating. “Tipping the balance” is a collaborative effort between RAP, CLASP, Agora Energiewende, and the Global Buildings Performance Network, with RAP Senior Associate Richard Lowes serving as lead author. The paper will be published in early December.

Crux Alliance event, Clean cities, smarter grids:
Harnessing policy to turn challenges into impact,” co-hosted with Folha de S.Paulo.

On Nov. 12, Crux hosted an event focused on how smart policies can unlock investment, accelerate deployment, and deliver tangible social and environmental benefits. The first panel pointed out cost-effective demand-side strategies to triple renewables and double efficiency by 2030, and featured Alliance experts Luisa Sierra, Executive Director, Instituto de Desarrollo Energía y Ambiente (IDEA), Bishal Thapa, Chief Strategy Officer, CLASP, and Stefania Relva, Director of Industrial Transformation, E+ Energy Transition Institute.

A second panel explored policy pathways for bus electrification in Latin America and beyond and included Clarisse Linke, Brazil Director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Marcel Martin, Brazil Managing Director, International Council on Clean Transportation, and Heather Thompson, ITDP CEO. A third, “riverside chat,” included the perspectives of two Brazilian policymakers, Marcos Daniel de Souza of Brazil’s Ministry of Cities and Henrique Paiva of ANEEL, Brazil’s power regulator, who both emphasized the critical importance of technical support from Alliance members in their work to advance sustainable cities and energy systems.

The panels were moderated by Joisa Dutra, Director, Infrastructure Regulation Center at FGV. You can view the full event below: