Panorama
 
 
 
 
 

BRAZIL ANNOUNCES NATIONAL POLICY ON CLIMATE CHANGE


Environmental Panorama
International
December of 2009


31/12/2009 - Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidency of Brazil - On December 29, in Brasilia, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva enacted the law establishing the National Policy on Climate Change. The Policy sets the Brazil's commitment to reduce the projected emissions of greenhouse gases within limits ranging from 36.1% to 38.9% by 2020.

The new Policy implementation will be detailed in February 2010 with the publication of a presidential decree that will determine reduction ranges per sectors of the economy and measures to be carried out. Throughout the month of January, federal government technicians will conduct further studies on the subject, which will serve to bolster the presidential text. "Targets in figures are not enough, we must have the tools that will ensure that they are achieved", said Carlos Minc, minister of the Environment.

The National Policy on Climate Change has as main objectives to make the economic and social development compatible with the protection of the climate system and to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the use of clean energy. The document also paves the way for the implementation of measures for adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate by the three federative government layers: federal, state and municipal.

Other highlights of the law provide for the conservation and reclamation of national biomes, the consolidation and expansion of legally protected natural areas and development of the Brazilian Market for Emission Reductions.

The main tools for implementing the policy are the National Plan on Climate Change, the National Fund on Climate Change and the Brazilian National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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Even without consensus, UN "takes note" of Copenhagen Accord

29/12/2009 - Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidency of Brazil - The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference closed officially on December 19. The main outcome of the Conference was the "Copenhagen Accord", drafted by a limited group of countries on December 18 and formally accepted by the UN.

Without unanimous approval, the accord will have an annex with the list of countries against it. The initiative of "taking note" was the solution found to give sufficient legal status and functionality to the document without the necessity of approval by the parties.

According to the Danish paper "Berlingske", the Chairman of COP15, the Danish Prime-Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, is pleased with the outcome. "We have been achieving results. Now, nations will have to sign the agreement and, if they do, what was agreed will have an immediate effect", he underlined.

Many leaders do not have the same optimism of the Danish Prime-Minister. On Friday afternoon (18 Dec), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had already announced his frustration with the Climate Conference. "If at this point we still could not draw up this document, I don't know if an angel or wise man will descend to this plenary session and will give us the intelligence we haven't found up to now", admonished the Brazilian President.

According to Environment Minister Carlos Minc, who was heading the Brazilian delegation in the final moments of the Conference, the accord is insufficient to provide countries, especially the poorest, with conditions to act effectively.

According to the text, rich countries have committed themselves to donate US$ 30 billions in the next three years for a fund against global warming. The agreement foresees US$ 100 billions per year, in 2020. "This is insufficient, we will keep fighting for the planet", said Minc.

Minister Carlos Minc highlighted that the amount given to the fund up to 2012 - US$ 10 billions per year - is less than Brazil will spend to achieve its voluntary target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in up to 39% by 2020.

He explained that, in order to achieve this goal, Brazil will spend US$ 16 billion per year. "This amount of US$ 30 billion for all countries is less than what Brazil alone will spend to meet our goals, as approved by our parliament", underlined Minc.

The document also says that developed countries are committed to an 80% emissions cut by 2050. For 2020, however, they have presented a proposal of reducing up to 20% of emissions, which is less than what is recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which suggests reductions from 25 to 40% by 2020.

According to the Secretary of Climate Change and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment and member of IPCC, Suzana Kahn, the outcome of COP15 was disappointing, as discussions of heads of state were more centered in the economic issues of rich and emerging nations, while ignoring those that will suffer the effects of climate change more severely.

"There are many African countries, for instance, that will suffer intensely with the temperature raise. However, it seems that the discussion has taken an economical and political approach, something that I find very alarming. The climate issue transcends the environmental frontier. It is a development, justice and equity matter", stated Suzana Kahn.

Main points of Copenhagen Accord:

- The accord has a non-binding character, but an attached proposal asks for the establishment of a legally-binding agreement until the end of next year. It considers a maximum temperature raise of two degrees Celsius but does not specify the necessary emissions cut to reach this target.

- It establishes an annual contribution of US$ 10 billions between 2010 and 2012 for the most vulnerable countries to tackle the effects of climate change, and US$ 100 billions per year from 2020 for mitigation and adaptation. Part of the funds, US$ 25.2 billions, will come from the US, EU and Japan. According to the presented proposal, the US will contribute with US$ 3.6 billions in the three year period 2010-12. In the same period, Japan will contribute with US$ 11 billions and the European Union will donate US$ 10.6 billions.

- The text of the agreement also establishes that countries should provide "National Communications" on how they are tackling global warming, through "international consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines". The text says "Developed countries shall provide adequate (&) financial resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation action in developing countries".

- Details of the mitigation plans are presented in two annexes of the Copenhagen Accord, one with objectives for the developed nations and the other one with voluntary commitments from key developing countries, such as Brazil.

- The agreement "recognizes the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation", and agrees to promote "positive incentives" to finance such actions with resources from developed countries.
Based on information from international agencies and the Ministry of the Environment

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President Lula: Brazil had prominent position at COP-15

29/12/2009 - The broadcast "Breakfast with the President" (Café com o Presidente), aired on radio on December 21, looked into the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15), held this month in Copenhagen. During the conversation, President Lula said that the feeling left from the meeting was "a feeling that leaders from the whole world will have to take this issue as a priority so that we will find a decisive solution and to guarantee the maintenance and existence of the Planet Earth, allowing the survival of the human species".

According to Lula, "everyone knows that the guiltiest are the industrialized countries, i.e. those that have started polluting long before Brazil, China, India and other countries; because they are industrialized since 200 years ago. What is under discussion now is what measures we will take to curb global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, I think this is something that was made very clear to everyone, both who had agreed with it and to those who didn't". And Brazil had a very prominent position at COP-15. According to the President, the country has established greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of 36.1% to 38.9% by 2020, while also proposing a reduction of 80% in Amazon deforestation by 2020.

"And we have decided other three important things: to reduce deforestation in the Cerrado biome; in our steel industry sector, we will work for the utilization of charcoal and not mineral coal, also with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases; and in our energy mix, which is already the cleanest in the world - considering electric energy alone, we have 85% of clean power generation. Brazil was, thus, in a very comfortable position. Brazil was considered, during the whole meeting, as the country that had the best proposal, as the country that worked on this issue appropriately. And thank God the governmental decision we have submitted to the National Congress was approved and is now a law. Therefore, this is no longer the will of President Lula. Now, whoever is governing this country will have to comply with it", said he.

 
 

Source: Brazil - Ministry for the Environment
Press consultantship
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