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Rousseff Announces High Goal for Climate, But Insufficient in Comparison With What Brazil Has Done

09/28/2015 - 09h32

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THAIS BILENKY
FROM NEW YORK

MARCELO NINIO
SPECIAL ENVOY TO NEW YORK

MARCELO LEITE
FOLHA COLUMNIST

President Dilma Rousseff announced on Sunday, September 27, that Brazil's goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are of 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030, in comparison with the figures of 2005. The numbers are considered bold and pleased environmentalists.

The reduction goals presented by Rousseff are more ambitious than those of most of other developing countries, but are below Brazil's global share of current emissions.

That is coherent, however, with the Brazilian political position that states that the cuts in developing countries have to be smaller than those made by industrialized economies.

"Brazil is one of the few developing countries to agree on an absolute goal to reduce emissions. We have one of the biggest populations and one of the highest G.D.P.s [Gross Domestic Product] in the world and our goals are as ambitious or even more ambitious than those of developed nations," said Rousseff.

The announcement was made during a speech at the United Nations Summit for the adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda in New York.

Some 60 countries had already disclosed their goals to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, among them are China, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Russia, which are responsible for 66% of the emissions in the world.

ANALYSIS

The INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) can be seen from two angles. One is a little more positive than the other, but it is impossible to say that there is an ambitious goal in the battle against global warming.

From the point of view of the INDCs presented by other countries so far, the Brazilian figures can be considered encouraging. Brazil is the first developing country to take on an objective of absolute reduction of greenhouse gases (GEG): a 43% decline by 2030 in comparison with the levels of 2005.

It is an advance. In 2009, for the Copenhagen Summit, the Brazilian government only spoke of making the emissions drop, inverting their rising trajectory. Now as the country proposes a cut, it shows an encouraging attitude for the Paris Summit to be held in December.

However, from a different point of view, there isn't much to commemorate. The Brazilian government did not present solid evidence that it will make a serious additional effort to help the world not surpass the dangerous frontier of a 2ºC rise in the temperature of the atmosphere since the pre-industrial era.

President Dilma Rousseff speaks of a commitment for the future but in practice Brazil continues to boast of its past achievements. The central point is in the year taken as reference - 2005.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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