With a focus on land use, Brazil will implement the commitments agreed during the Paris Agreement
São Paulo, November 7th, 2016 – In addition to having one of the largest forest assets in the world, Brazil has great potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the land use sector. This is the reason why its ambitious commitments (NDC - Nationally Determined Contribution) to the Paris Agreement, ratified in September, focus on forests and agriculture.
The Brazilian goals involve 32 million hectares of land: 12 million linked to restoration of forests, 15 million to degraded pastures and 5 million to integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems. Also included in the NDC are the end of illegal deforestation in the Amazon until 2030, the objective to reach 18% share of biofuels in the energy matrix and 23% share of renewable energy (besides hydro energy) in the supply of electricity until 2030.
All this effort requires technologies for pasture recovery, the use of biomass and the integrated crop-livestock-forestry system, all of them already available in the country. But they depend on regulation, systematic diffusion and investment resources to reduce Brazilian emissions. Despite the 80% decrease in the Amazon deforestation - figure registered when comparing data from 2004 to 2014 - the rate increased by 24% in 2015, according to INPE (National Institute For Space Research). Therefore, combating deforestation and promoting solutions on many fronts are fundamental to the implementation of a low-carbon agriculture and forestry economy.
Brazil currently accounts for 2.5% of the total CO2 emitted in the world, which places the country among the 10 largest emitters worldwide. The country has significant relevance in the global scenario of climate change, also because of its natural characteristics and economic potential. About 60% of its territory is still covered by native vegetation, it is one of the world's largest food producers, and its agriculture accounts for 21.5% of the national GDP. Moreover, Brazil accounts for 12% of the planet's forests, which constitute the world's largest biomass (carbon) stock. And it was the third major economy to ratify the Paris Agreement at domestic level, contributing to its entry into force before COP 22.
In this scenario, the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture — a multi-sector movement formed by over 150 companies, civil society organizations, sector entities and research institutes — works on a consensus on practical solutions that lead to NDC compliance. It also articulates dialogues with the government and international partners, organizes debates and seeks to influence decisions that help the economy and combat climate change.
The Brazilian Coalition is organized into eight working groups, with more than 70 people in constant activity. They are: Low-carbon agriculture, Bioenergy, Forest Code, International cooperation, Tropical forest economy (with focus on timber traceability and combating illegal deforestation), Logistics, Restoration/reforestation (including economic use of native and exotic species), Valuation and ecosystem services (promoting the carbon market and the importance of the REDD+ mechanism).
The following is a summary of the main points, aiming at reducing Brazilian emissions, in a fair, competitive, sustainable and inclusive context.
Transparency on areas to be recovered, restored or protected — Brazil is close to completing the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), which indicates the areas with vegetation covering that will be restored or protected in each farm. According to the Brazilian Forest Service, 97.4% of 397.8 million hectares of registerable areas were registered until October 2016. In addition to completing the Registry, the Brazilian Coalition believes that it is necessary to make information accessible to the public, in order to obtain a clear vision of the total to be restored or protected and, thus, to transparently guide public policies, as well as the implementation of forestry legislation.
Stronger mechanisms to encourage the protection of native vegetation — the reduction of the deforestation and the socioeconomic and sustainable development of the Amazon, the Cerrado, the Caatinga and other Brazilian biomes can be encouraged by the application of the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism. Based on the verified reduction of deforestation in the Amazon between 2006 and 2015 (in relation to the periods 1996 to 2005 and 1996 to 2010), Brazil could raise about 20 billion dollars. However, so far, it has raised almost 2 billion dollars. The Brazilian Coalition supports the creation or reinforcement of effective mechanisms, as well as legal provisions, that allow the valorization of the capture, conservation, maintenance and increase of the carbon stock by forests.
Training and monitoring of forest restoration — The restoration or reforestation of 12 million hectares estimated in the Brazilian NDC can happen for economic purposes or ecological regeneration, and within a range of possibilities. All depend on capacity building, investment, financial incentives and public policies. For this reason, the Brazilian Coalition has been acting in the creation of a monitoring platform of critical factors for the restoration. The idea is to point out where they already exist: public policies regulated in the national territory, payment programs for environmental services, seeds and seedlings availability, among others.
Research and development of native species forestry — Large-scale forest restoration, a Brazilian aspiration, may occur with native species planted for economic purposes. Its central element is the need for more research and development (R&D) in forestry (seeds and seedlings). For this reason, the Brazilian Coalition, together with its members, supports initiatives that stimulate genetic improvement and the management and monitoring of technologies for the selection of species of higher productivity, supporting markets in the so-called tropical forest economy.
Low-carbon agriculture — to scale up the practices that will allow the predominance of agricultural and livestock production characterized by low carbon emissions, it is fundamental to intensify these activities by the use of new technologies. The set of actions to transform the current reality includes: diffusion of such technologies, dissemination of technical assistance and supply of resources to finance this adjustment that still does not reach the rural producer in an efficient way. The Brazilian Coalition understands that it is necessary to invest in partnerships between public and private agents and civil society, creating a joint and long-term strategy that meets the demand of rural producers, focusing on the goals assumed in Paris.
Bioenergy — The Brazilian Coalition studies and makes proposals to assist in the elaboration of long-term public policies that value bioenergy in the country and lead to the global standardization of the use of biofuels. After all, the energy sector accounts for about 25% of Brazilian GHG emissions. Thus, the country has committed, among other goals, to reach 18% in the participation of biofuels in the energy matrix and to a 23% share of renewable energy (besides hydro energy) in the supply of electricity in the same period.
About the Brazilian Coalition
The Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture is a multi-sector movement established to propose initiatives and influence public policies that lead to the development of a low-carbon economy by creating decent jobs, encouraging innovation, Brazil’s global competitiveness and generating and distributing wealth across society. Over 150 companies, business associations, research centers and civil society organizations have already joined The Brazilian Coalition – coalizaobr.com.br.
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