WBA Puts Biogas on the COP30 Agenda & Supports Brazil’s Implementation Plans for #MakingBiogasHappen 

On 16 March, Charlotte Morton and I landed in Brazil to represent the World Biogas Association at the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Annual Meeting 2025 – a key event bringing together 91 partner governments and organisations to assess progress on reducing methane emissions and shape the roadmap to achieve the Global Methane Pledge target: a 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. 

All eyes are on Brazil, host of COP30, to take a leading role in global climate action. With time running out to prevent the worst impacts of global warming – and in the wake of losing a vital climate ally following the recent US elections – Brazil’s leadership is more important than ever.

For WBA, Brazil is not just a stage for international diplomacy. It is a key country for the implementation of our #MakingBiogasHappen programme – our global initiative to accelerate biogas deployment and unlock the sector’s full potential to reduce emissions, create green jobs, and address pressing environmental challenges. 

As Adalberto Maluf, Brazil’s National Secretary of Urban Environment and Environmental Quality, highlighted during the conference, Brazil faces significant challenges: 

• 50% of the population lacks access to sanitation
• 28% of waste still ends up in dumpsites
• Most urban methane emissions originate from the waste sector 

The good news? Biogas can help address all of these issues – effectively and affordably. Charlotte Morton and I presented the #MakingBiogasHappen programme in two sessions at CCAC conference and held meetings with Federal government officials, international partners, and local stakeholders to ensure the programme is adapted to Brazil’s specific needs and opportunities.

WBA meets with Government 

Charlotte and I met with Marlon Arraes, Director of Biofuels at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, to discuss the adoption of some of the key learnings from the MBH programme for the regulations that will shape the Future Fuels legislation that was launched last year to support the growth of sustainable fuels. A key component of the legislation is a mandate that comes to force in January 2026 for the market of natural gas traded that will need to achieve an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, starting with 1%. Petrobras, with which we had a productive meeting on future collaboration, has already launched a public tender for procuring biomethane to be able to meet the mandate next year. 

We also met with the Brazil COP30 team to discuss WBA’s proposals for the summit, including: 

• The first-ever Sustainable Fuels Day at a COP
• A COP30 Declaration to reduce methane emissions from agriculture – complementing previous COP declarations on methane from oil and gas (COP28) and the waste sector (COP29)

Brazil is taking action on methane from waste

An important development at the CCAC meeting was the announcement that Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and Fortaleza have joined the Lowering Organic Waste Methane (LOW-Methane) Partnership – of which WBA is an official partner. This represents a vital step forward in tackling emissions from the waste sector. 

While the challenges are stark – with many Brazilian landfills still failing to capture methane – cities are beginning to take action. For example, Fortaleza is aiming to increase biogas capture at its landfill from 40% to 70% to support biomethane production. 

São Paulo 

In São Paulo, I spoke at I-REC Day Brazil on 25 March where I have highlighted the importance of biomethane certificates and the work of the WBA and its partners to secure an interim statement from the GHG Protocol on the acceptance of biomethane certificates for Scope 1 emissions while new standards are developed.  

Charlotte and I also met with high-level officials to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State of São Paulo – an essential step towards rolling out #MakingBiogasHappen at the state level, and with key stakeholders of the sector to map out the scope of this first stage of the implementation of the programme here in Brazil. 

What’s next for WBA in Brazil? 

This is only the beginning. Throughout the year, WBA will continue to strengthen partnerships and accelerate progress, including: 

• 7 April – In collaboration with CIBiogas, we will host our first #MakingBiogasHappen workshop in Brazil, taking place ahead of the Fórum Sul Brasileiro de Biogás e Biometano. Register here
• 15 April – We will launch our Biogas Policy and Market Brief: Brazil during a live webinar at 2pm BST.  Register here
• November – Just ahead of COP30 in Belém, we will return to São Paulo to host the World Biogas Association BRAZIL Congress 2025. 

Join us in #MakingBiogasHappen in Brazil – the time for action is now.