29/10/2009 - The Brazilian
minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, announced
on Tuesday (10/27) the revised estimate
of CO² emissions
in the agricultural and cattle raising sector.
The study shows that the sector emitted
30% more carbon dioxide and equivalent gases
in the period of 1994-2007.
According to the data,
emissions from cattle raising increased
by 25%, while the use of soil caused an
increase of 39%. The study highlights that
emissions have also increased in the energy
sector (54%), industrial processes (56%)
and waste processing (32%).
The study aims to provide
updated estimates of emissions of greenhouse
gases in Brazil to aid in planning government
policies. It will also serve as the basis
for the Brazilian proposal to be presented
at the United Nations Convention on Climate
Change, in december, in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Estimates of emissions reduction by 2020
in Brazil show an 80% reduction of deforestation
in the Amazon, which will represent 20%
less emissions.
The minister mentioned
some measures related to soil management
suggested by the Embrapa that can reduce
emissions in 7% in the agricultural and
cattle raising sector by 2020. One of them
is the recovery of degraded areas. The minister
also called for reduced use of fertilizers.
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Ministerial meeting
in Barcelona discusses the UN Convention
on Climate Change
29/10/2009 - The Brazilian
minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, takes
part this week (October 29 to 31), in Barcelona
(Spain), in a preparatory meeting for the
United Nations Convention on Climate Change
(COP-15), to be held in December, in Copenhagen
(Denmark).
The Ministerial Meeting
in Barcelona will bring together Environment
ministers from the countries participating
in COP-15 and the presidency of the Convention.
They will debate issues on which there are
differences that may compromise the discussions
that will take place in Denmark, especially
related to mitigation actions and to the
funding of actions against global warming.
At the meeting, convened
by the chairman of the Copenhagen Convention,
the minister of Climate and Energy of Denmark,
Connie Hedegaard, the ministers will be
invited to guide the presidency of COP-15
and international negotiators on possible
ways to advance in these two subjects. Regarding
mitigation, the goal is to reach a common
understanding on the improvement of the
actions. The discussions on financing issues
include funding and governance.
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House of Representatives
approves the National Policy on Climate
Change
29/10/2009 - The House
of Representatives approved, on Tuesday
(10/27), a bill establishing the National
Policy on Climate Change. The objectives
of the proposal are to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions caused by human activity and
implement measures to adapt to climate change
caused by global warming. The project will
be voted by the Senate.
The proposal was at
the House of Representatives since last
year, but gained urgency because of the
proximity of the new round of international
negotiations on reductions in greenhouse
gases, scheduled for December in Copenhagen
(Denmark).
The approved project
includes a mechanism for the establishment
of environmental standards and measurable
targets for the reduction and removal of
greenhouse gases. These targets should be
verifiable.
Another new concept
is the use of different criteria in public
bidding to promote products and services
that mean greater energy savings and reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions.
The approval of the
policy was welcomed by minister Carlos Minc,
but he also expects the approval of the
Climate Fund, which will allocate resources
originated from oil exploitation to actions
to combat climate change. "With that
we can arrive in Copenhagen as the first
country that has a fund for actions related
to climate whose resources have originated
from the exploitation of a fossil fuel.
This is how it should be, the polluter must
pay for renewable alternatives", he
said.
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MMA prepares a summary
of its main actions related to health
27/10/2009 - The Brazilian
Ministry of Environment (MMA) will publish
a summary of its main actions that relate
to health to support discussions at the
1st Conference of Environmental Health,
which will be held between December 9 and
12 in Brasilia. During the meeting, the
creation of new public policies for the
sector will be discussed.
The publication will
contain texts that each of the secretariats
of the MMA made on their individual initiatives.
The examples are very rich, such as environmental
considerations resulting from the growth
of the country, including in relation to
the Pre-salt. The partnership with the Oswaldo
Cruz Foundation, which dealt with species
that cause disease in humans, is also cited.
The meeting in Brasilia
will be the result of municipal and state
conferences held by the ministries of Environment,
Health and Cities. It will reflect the demands
of society with regard to problems whose
solutions are common to the three ministries.
In the summary that
will serve as support to the National Conference,
the MMA's Secretariat of Climate Change
and Environmental Quality draws attention
to the fact that new ways of generating
electricity imply impact. "Motor Vehicles
and major enterprises in thermal power,
siderurgy, refineries and others are the
main agents of environmental contamination,
as well as greenhouse gases emmiters. Air
pollution, water and soil, especially in
large cities, is jeopardizing population
health and increasing the appearance of
new diseases", says the document.
The text also highlights
that the increasing use of chemicals to
ensure agricultural production and the increased
production of consumer goods, for example,
leads to contamination of soil and water
resources.
