Brazil and Portugal Push for Ocean-Based Foods as Key Climate Solution Ahead of COP30

As the world prepares for COP30 climate talks in Brazil’s Amazon gateway city of Belém, fisheries ministers from Brazil and Portugal are making a compelling case for “blue foods” – seafood, seaweed, and other aquatic-based nutrition – as an underutilized weapon in the fight against climate change.

The two Atlantic-connected nations bring impressive credentials to this argument. Portugal leads the European Union in per capita fish consumption and ranks third globally, while Brazil’s aquatic food sector supports over three million jobs. In some Amazon communities that will host the upcoming climate summit, residents consume up to 800 grams of fish daily, demonstrating the sector’s massive potential for sustainable nutrition.

Despite blue foods’ well-established nutritional benefits – providing essential protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids that could help address malnutrition affecting over two billion people worldwide – the sector remains largely overlooked in climate policy discussions. This represents a significant missed opportunity, according to the ministers, as many blue foods can meet growing global demand for animal protein while maintaining a substantially smaller environmental footprint than land-based alternatives.

The timing of this push is strategic, with COP30 marking the first time UN climate talks will be held in the Amazon region. The ministers argue that embracing blue foods as a formal climate strategy could simultaneously address food security, malnutrition, and greenhouse gas reduction goals – making it a natural fit for the comprehensive climate solutions needed as environmental pressures on global food systems continue to intensify.