Brazil announces auto industry executive as COP30 climate champion

By Lisandra Paraguassu

(Reuters) -Brazil on Wednesday announced the nomination of auto industry executive Dan Ioschpe, who represented Brazil in business meetings at the G20 summit last year, as its "climate champion" for the 2025 United Nations climate summit, know as COP30, which the country will host in November.

His role will be to work on behalf of the conference's president, Brazilian diplomat Andre Correa do Lago, to encourage and negotiate voluntary efforts by the business community and others to curb global warming. Former climate champions have been environmental advocates, government officials and members of the development finance community.

"I look forward to working with him to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and deliver meaningful progress on the road to COP30," said Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, in a statement about the appointment.

Ioschpe is the chairman of Iochpe-Maxion, a Sao Paulo-based auto parts maker, and serves on the board of Brazilian firms such as planemaker Embraer.

He also served as the chair of the B20, a global business forum that fosters dialogue between corporate and government leaders at the G20 group of major global economies, which Brazil presided last year.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Manuela Andreoni; Editing by Brad Haynes and Stephen Coates)