Brazil’s new climate target in the Paris Agreement will be presented at COP29 in Azerbaijan; economic growth puts pressure on emissions
The Brazilian government announced the goal of reducing 67% greenhouse gas emissions until 2035 on Friday (8.Nov.2024). The new target is higher than the previous one, of 59%, and will be presented by the vice-president, at COP29. The event will be in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11th and 12th.
The reduction proposed by Brazil is in relation to the amount of emissions in 2005. According to Planalto, “this is equivalent, in absolute terms, to a reduction in emissions to reach between 850 million and 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2035”.
Planalto discussed its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) at a meeting on Wednesday (Nov 6). The idea is to closely monitor the actions being taken by ministries on the topic.
“The new NDC covers all sectors of the economy and is aligned with the objective of the Paris Agreement of limiting the planet’s average warming to 1.5ºC in relation to the pre-industrial period, according to the Global Assessment agreed at COP28, in Dubai, in 2023 This commitment will allow Brazil to move towards climate neutrality by 2050, the long-term objective of the climate commitment.”wrote the Executive in a note.
IT GROWS, BUT POLLUTES
Brazil grew 2.9% in 2023 and is expected to grow another 3.1% in 2024. With the increase in economic activity, the tendency is for emissions to also grow. The impression of some ministries is that new containment measures will be needed to achieve the goals of the agreement.
The results will be presented by Alckmin at COP29, the UN (United Nations) summit on climate change because Lula canceled his trip to the event after cutting off his head on October 19.
The agricultural sector in Brazil, for example, will see an increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. The growth marks the 4th consecutive year of increase in this index. The (Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimation System), of the Climate Observatory, released the data on Thursday (7.Nov.2024).
Agricultural activities emitted 631.2 million tons of CO₂ (carbon dioxide equivalent), an increase of 2.2% compared to 2022. The increase was mainly driven by the growth of the cattle herd in the country.
Despite the increase in emissions from the agricultural sector, Brazil reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions by 12% in 2023, reaching 2.3 billion tons of CO₂e. This decrease was mainly due to the reduction in deforestation in the Amazon. However, other biomes showed an increase in emissions.
The conversion of forests to other uses was responsible for 46% of total emissions.
