Going against the G20 countries, Brazil goes to COP26 without concrete planning

Among the main challenges for the reduction of pollutant gas emissions is carbon neutrality by 2050 or zero emissions. (Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace)

Victória Sales – from Cenarium

MANAUS – Pressured by the increase in the number of deforestation and illegal fires, Brazil arrives at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), contrary to the G20 countries, without concrete planning, taking only goals that will be achieved in the long term. Among the main challenges for the reduction of pollutant gas emissions is the carbon neutrality by 2050 or zero emissions.

According to the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, who will lead the Brazilian delegation at COP26, the country will take goals of increasing from 43% to 45% the goal of reducing gas emissions by 2030. Also this week, Brazilian Vice-President Hamilton Mourão said that Brazil aims to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon within two or three years before the 2030 deadline, as promised by President Jair Bolsonaro in April.

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Read more: CENARIUM covering COP 26; learn about the environmental importance of the event for the world

According to environmentalist Carlos Durigan, on one side it is possible to identify the Brazilian government, which is responsible for worsening the situation of environmental degradation in Brazil, since it has been negligent and incompetent in actions to contain deforestation and fires and has even encouraged illegal and degrading activities, such as illegal mining and occupation of public lands.

“But on the other hand, we also have state governments, responsible companies, and civil society, which have fought against these situations and also promoted positive agendas aimed at curbing degrading activities and promoting initiatives aimed at sustainable development”, explained Carlos Durigan in an exclusive interview with CENARIUM.

A part of the Amazon Rainforest being consumed by illegal fires (Carl de Souza/AFP)

Durigan also highlights that for Brazil’s participation at COP 26, we can expect a contradictory performance, with the Brazilian government trying to minimize the negative and worn-out image that it has already built, “taking a proposal designed in a hurry and without involvement, without the participation of the other actors that act in the socio-environmental public policies in the country.

“We will also have the participation of indigenous leaders, environmentalists, businessmen, and state government representatives who are trying to reduce the damage and, at the same time, to alert the other countries about the situation in which we find ourselves, which is already well known around the world, of the setback in the agendas of the national socio-environmental agenda”, said Carlos.

Goal

Along with the goal of reducing or zeroing gas emissions by 2050, the leaders will also negotiate new commitments that ensure the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming at 1.5ºC, but Brazil has not yet made explicit how it will achieve these climate goals, considering the consecutive increase in deforestation and carbon emissions.

The Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) also established some criteria for a COP26 that they guarantee will be met. Among them are:

  1. Analysis and alignment between short and long-term goals to reduce emissions While all countries must submit their proposals for greater commitments to reduce CO2 (and CO2 equivalent) GHG emissions, there is no requirement in the Paris Agreement for proposals to be aligned with the 1.5 ° C – 2.0 ° C limit on temperature increase. It is to be hoped that strong leadership will encourage and enable bold commitments to be made. The CCAG will strongly advocate for such alignment, transparency, and scrutiny to ensure that each country’s short-term commitments are aligned with its long-term pledges.
  2. Delivery on existing financing pledges and continued development for the futureCOP26 must secure the financing arrangements agreed in 2009 and ratified in 2010 for a Global Green Fund (GGF) of at least $100 billion per year from developed economies to support developing and least developed economies. The funding commitments should be set as a floor, not a ceiling, of what is needed. The CCAG argues that as the path to delivering $100 billion a year is cleared, mechanisms to accelerate the process of raising public funds should also be agreed upon. The emphasis would be on adaptive financing in the face of ongoing climate impacts, which is not currently the focus of the GGF.
  3. Political agreement on protecting carbon sinks in nature Global ecosystems, on land and in the oceans, absorb more than 50% of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions. Nature stores more carbon than we currently burn, and these crucial ecosystem services must be secured and enhanced. Above all, we must reduce the conversion and degradation of natural ecosystems (such as forests, savannahs, grasslands, peatlands, mangroves). COP26 has the chance to harmonize the various global efforts and activities and give them new impulse.
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