A few days before the opening of the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA) released a plan to reduce the emission of 1 billion tons of CO2 by 2030.
This volume is seven times larger than the one defined for the past decade. With this plan, Brazil aims to reach 72.68 million hectares with sustainable production technologies (little more than twice the size of the United Kingdom). The country also wants to expand the treatment of 208.4 million cubic meters of animal residues and use intensive termination technology to slaughter 5 million cattle heads.
“We have one of the most ambitious agricultural public policies in the world, which envision daring goals to improve the sustainability of Brazilian production over the next decade and keep Agro at the forefront of the efforts to confront climate change,” said the Minister of MAPA, Tereza Cristina, at the launching of the new plan, ABC+.
Positioning
Some days before, the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock in Brazil (CNA) delivered the agricultural sector’s positioning for the COP26 to government officials.
In the document, CNA reiterates the commitment from Brazilian rural producers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GEE) by adopting low carbon technologies and good agricultural practices. It also asks the international community to acknowledge, as anticipated mitigation actions, the efforts already carried out by the sector.
“CNA advocates an open carbon market to all countries in the world, without restrictions or favoring of specific regions,” says the positioning. The Confederation defends that “Brazil has a potential for the production of single carbon credits in the world,” which can promote part of the solutions to reduce GEE.
Five points
The document highlights the five topics that are the most relevant for the sector in the negotiations of a new climate agreement:
1. Objective definitions on the carbon market;
2. Adoption of the plan of action negotiated in Koronivia, which deals with the insertion of agriculture as part of the solution to mitigate the effects of climate change;
3. Financing to accomplish the Paris Agreement;
4. Adoption of mechanisms focused on “adaptation”; and
5. Production and preservation guided by science and legality.
The complete positioning of the agricultural sector is available here and will be delivered to Brazilian and foreign negotiators during the conference.
The Paris Agreement
The agreement is an international treaty to reduce global warming signed by 196 countries during the 21st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) in 2015 in the French capital. It focuses on avoiding the increase of Earth’s average temperature between 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C until the year 2100.
Brazil is a signatory country and aims to reduce GEE by 37% by 2025, 43% by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050. The country contributes 2.7% of global emissions and has no history of GEE as developed countries.