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.
