GINGR at COP30: Turning global energy goals into Nature- and People-Positive action
- renewablesgrid
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
As the world gathers in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, the spotlight turns to how global commitments to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 can be realised in ways that benefit both nature and people.
Following the success of the GINGR events at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi this October — where ministers, financiers, and experts explored how renewable energy expansion can align with protecting 30% of nature by 2030 — GINGR is returning to the international stage with renewed purpose. The discussions in Abu Dhabi highlighted the importance of embedding biodiversity safeguards, community benefits, and transparent metrics into the rapid build-out of renewable energy systems worldwide.
Building on this momentum and the three well-attended events hosted at COP29 in Baku, GINGR is now taking the conversation forward at COP30 in Belém. The initiative will showcase how policy, finance, and technical innovation can come together to deliver measurable Nature- and People-Positive outcomes — turning ambition into accountable action.
GINGR’s latest work introduces a science-based toolbox that helps decision-makers assess how wind, solar, and grid infrastructure can contribute to biodiversity recovery, social equity, and community resilience while accelerating progress towards global climate targets — counting success not only in gigawatts, but in restored ecosystems and thriving communities.
Driving Climate Adaptation and Resilience with Renewables
Solutions for People and Nature
📍Side Event Room 5, Blue Zone
📅 Wednesday, 12 November 2025
🕟 16:45 – 18:15
As the impacts of climate change intensify, countries are being called to strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerability, and embed adaptation into national development planning. Yet, while renewable energy is widely recognised as a climate mitigation solution, its transformative potential for adaptation remains underexplored.
This official COP30 side event aims to reposition renewables as a driver of climate adaptation, demonstrating how they can enhance health, water, food, and energy security in climate-vulnerable regions. The discussion will explore how integrated energy planning, resilient grid infrastructure, and community-led renewable solutions can reduce climate risks, strengthen livelihoods, and promote biodiversity co-benefits.
By connecting renewable energy to the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), this session will demonstrate how resilient, people-centred, and nature-positive energy systems can deliver benefits across sectors. Participants are invited to contribute ideas on embedding renewables into adaptation frameworks, financing mechanisms, and climate-resilient infrastructure strategies.
Measuring What Matters
Delivering ocean metrics and practical solutions for a Nature- and People-Positive energy transition
📍Ocean Pavilion, Blue Zone
📅 Thursday, 13 November 2025
🕟 09:00 – 10:00
The global push to triple renewable capacity depends increasingly on offshore wind and marine grid systems, but achieving this must not come at the cost of ocean health. This high-level session will present the first draft of GINGR’s framework for ocean metrics: a practical tool to help governments, developers, and financiers measure how offshore renewables contribute to Nature- and People-Positive outcomes.
Drawing on the GINGR discussion papers on Maritime Spatial Planning and Monitoring Biodiversity at Sea, the event will demonstrate how shared metrics can help align renewable deployment with the protection of marine biodiversity, fisheries, and the livelihoods of coastal and island communities. Participants will hear about innovations in biodiversity monitoring, marine spatial planning, and data standardisation, and how these can feed into global reporting systems and the work of GINGR’s Technical Working Groups.
Speakers
Shamini Selvaratnam, Director, International Climate and Clean Energy, Ocean Conservancy
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF, Chair of IUCN Climate Action Commission, Member of GINGR International Advisory Board
Zhang Shining, Research at Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization
Qiulin Liu, Programme Officer – Climate Change, IUCN (Moderator)
The session will also invite reflections on how science-based metrics can guide investment and regulation towards projects that restore ecosystems, strengthen resilience, and support the global renewable energy goals under the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly in shaping the next iteration of the GINGR framework and its application across national and regional contexts.
Why COP30 Matters for GINGR
For GINGR, COP30 is a milestone for turning frameworks into action. With biodiversity loss and energy poverty among the defining crises of our time, the initiative’s work bridges these agendas—offering governments, developers, and financiers the tools to measure not just outputs, but outcomes that benefit people and the planet alike.
By advancing metrics for both land-based and ocean-based renewables, GINGR continues to demonstrate that the energy transition can be climate-smart, community-driven, and nature-positive.
If you are attending COP30 in Belém, we warmly invite you to join us at these sessions, meet the GINGR partners, and contribute your perspectives on shaping a just, inclusive, and measurable transition towards a thriving, Nature- and People-Positive future.