Opinion Column: COP30 and your electricity bill: how climate change affects your future

Cities that implement emissions reduction policies also benefit from reduced public health costs. From a social perspective, the energy transition translates into cleaner air, quieter transportation systems, and more predictable energy costs, improving the population's quality of life. Little of the country's territory currently has consistent climate adaptation strategies in place to address the new climate, which has already changed and will continue to change, with increasing impacts on the population.

The city of São Paulo, for example, despite being the largest and one of the best-structured in Latin America, has a drainage system designed based on rainfall from the 1950s, a standard completely inadequate for today's intensity and frequency. The electrification of transportation, with mandatory targets for renewing bus and logistics vehicle fleets, must be a priority. It is also essential to ensure clean, affordable energy for industry and accessible energy for the general population—which is the foundation of what we call a just energy transition.

In waste management, it's necessary to capture and utilize biogas and biomethane, expand recycling, and include waste pickers. Risk maps, tree planting, and transparency in targets are essential for adaptation. Drainage networks will need to be restructured, urban planning revised, and infrastructure investments made more resilient to the new climate will need to be made. The planet is demanding resources, technology, and much stronger action from local governments, and the state of São Paulo needs to be a strong player in this regard.

It's in the public's interest to consider climate adaptation, after all, the changes that surround us have a direct impact on our daily lives. Efficient energy and local generation reduce waste and stabilize electricity bills. Less diesel on the streets means cleaner air and fewer hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses. Electric buses offer more comfort and less noise. The energy transition generates new jobs, from the renewable energy chain to recycling. Adapted territories better withstand increasingly intense storms and heat waves.

For these reasons, COP30 represents a strategic platform for Brazil to demonstrate to the world that economic development and decarbonization can coexist. The country has the opportunity to present itself as an example of a just transition, combining forest protection, clean supply chains, sustainable mobility, competitive industry, social justice, and the reduction of social inequalities.

For this narrative to be credible, it is imperative to arrive in Belém with solid goals, fully implemented public policies, and achievable results. Due to its economic scale and technical capacity, the state of São Paulo is uniquely positioned to lead this movement and be a beacon of innovation for the rest of the country and the world. The energy transition is about the air we breathe, the water we drink, the transportation we use, and the jobs we want. It is about making our planet more resilient, safe, humane, and competitive. COP30 is the showcase and the lever. It is up to us to transform this opportunity into action—with haste, dialogue, and a scientific basis.