Brazil extends its greenhouse gas reduction target


Brazil extended its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target from 37 to 48 percent by 2025 and from 50 to 53 percent by 2030, the government announced today.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, during the opening of the Climate Ambition Summit.

Silva said that zero deforestation is not enough to solve the problem of climate change and that the world needs a broader energy transition.

“I am pleased to announce today that we will update our Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. We will return to the level of ambition that we originally presented at COP21 and that had been modified under the previous government,” said the Brazilian official.

“This is despite the fact that our historical responsibilities are incomparably lower than those of rich countries. We are already taking steps to bring our ambitions back to reality,” she said.

According to her, “more than 3 billion people are already directly affected by climate change, especially in lower-middle income countries. The most affected are the poorest, women, indigenous people, the elderly, children, youth and migrants. No country should have to choose between fighting global warming and fighting hunger or poverty. This is a false dilemma. We all have an ethical commitment to do both,” he added.

Xinhua