Posted on 18 November
2009 - Brasilia, Brazil: The recent announcement
by Brazil – one of the world’s top emitters
of greenhouse gases
from deforestation - that it is adopting
new emissions reduction targets could help
steer negotiators in Copenhagen toward a
stronger climate change deal.
Brazil’s top environment
ministers said late last week the country
is committing to an emission reduction target
of between 36.1 and 38.9 percent by 2020.
Brazil announced those figures only a day
after saying new data showed the lowest
deforestation rates in the Amazon in the
past 21 years.
The new commitment can
help unblock and steer climate negotiations
toward a new global agreement in Copenhagen,
which will be considered next month, said
WWF-Brazil CEO Denise Hamú.
"As Brazil announces
these figures, it moves from a situation
where it merely holds developed countries
to account to a situation where it can be
a role model in the establishment of a new
low-carbon development model for the world,"
Hamú said.
"It should be noted,
however, that the data needs to be more
detailed,” she said. “We are not sure which
baseline scenario was used, that is, how
the Brazilian government estimated Brazil's
emission growth trends by the end of the
next decade. Neither do we know how we will
reach those targets.”
“No detailed information
is available on all actions across the various
industries and on our low-carbon plan of
action. It is fundamental that all government
policies be consistent with the announcement
made today," Hamú said.
As far as international
climate negotiations are concerned, Brazil
now has a more legitimate case to demand
a clearer financial support commitment from
the developed nations for the establishment
of adequate actions to adapt to the effects
of global warming, according to WWF.
Data released by the
Brazilian government earlier this month
showed that the deforestation rate in the
Amazon fell between August 2008 and July
2009. Overall, the deforested region is
a 45 percent smaller than Amazon land cleared
the previous year, or between August 2007
and July 2008.
This is the lowest rate
of deforestation in the Amazon since record-keeping
began in 2000, and down from a high of more
than 27,000 square kms in 2004.
However, deforestation
also must be reduced in other damaged forest
areas in Brazil, such as in the Cerrado,
according to WWF:
Despite conservation
efforts, global deforestation continues
at an alarming rate – 13 million hectares
per year, or 36 football fields a minute.
It generates almost 20 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions and halting forest
loss has been identified as one of the most
cost-effective ways to keep the world out
of the danger zone of runaway climate change.
