In the same month that President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Brazil’s President Michel Temer reinforced 
Brazil’s commitment to environmental preservation by signing a decree that officially publishes the Paris Agreement in Brazil. With this act, the agreement becomes part of Brazilian legislation.
“Brazil will make its contribution and fulfill its responsibility. We know that climate change is a real problem, and we must face it systematically and vigorously. Its effects are already being felt in Brazil and around the world,” said the president after signing the decree.
The Paris Agreement was approved by the 195 signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote sustainable development.
The signatory countries committed to keeping the global average temperature increase to less than 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to making efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
Temer initially ratified the agreement in September of last year by signing an official document through which the Brazilian government committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030 (using 2005 as a baseline).
Environment Minister Sarney Filho and Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira Filho issued a joint statement expressing concern over the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement:
“The Brazilian government received with deep concern and disappointment the announcement made on June 1 that the government of the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ‘renegotiate’ its re-entry. Brazil is seriously concerned about the negative impact of this decision on multilateral dialogue and cooperation to respond to global challenges.
Brazil remains committed to the global effort against climate change and to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The 
fight against climate change is an irreversible process that cannot be postponed and is compatible with economic growth. It provides opportunities to promote sustainable development and boost high-tech sectors. The Brazilian government will continue to work with all countries that are Parties to the Agreement and other actors in promoting sustainable development, with low greenhouse gas emissions and resilient to the adverse effects of climate change.
The Paris Agreement establishes the framework for Parties to present national efforts that reflect their responsibilities and capacities. The Agreement allows each country to define measures and policies to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in a way that best suits domestic circumstances, harmonizing economic growth with environmental protection.
Brazil’s Commitments
Brazil intends to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37% below 2005 levels by 2025. Subsequently, it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
In accordance with the long-term vision of keeping the global average temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, Brazil will strive for a transition to energy systems based on renewable sources and for the decarbonization of the global economy by the end of the century, in the context of sustainable development and access to the financial and technological means necessary for this transition.
Brazil intends to adopt additional measures consistent with the 2°C temperature goal, particularly:
i) increase the share of sustainable biofuels in the Brazilian energy matrix to approximately 18% by 2030, expanding the consumption of biofuels, increasing the supply of ethanol, including increasing the share of advanced biofuels (second generation), and increasing the share of biodiesel in the diesel mix;
ii) in land use and forests:
– strengthen and enforce the implementation of the Forest Code at the federal, state, and municipal levels;
– strengthen policies and measures aimed at achieving zero illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by 2030 and compensating for greenhouse gas emissions from legal vegetation suppression by 2030;
– restore and reforest 12 million hectares of forests by 2030, for multiple purposes;
– enhance sustainable management systems for native forests, aimed at curbing illegal and unsustainable practices;
iii) in the energy sector, achieve 45% renewables in the energy matrix by 2030, including:
– expand the use of renewable energy sources beyond hydropower in the total energy matrix to between 28% and 33% by 2030;
– expand the use of non-fossil energy sources domestically, increasing the share of renewables (beyond hydropower) in electricity supply to at least 23% by 2030, including raising the share of wind, biomass, and solar;
– achieve efficiency gains of 10% in the electricity sector by 2030.
iv) in the agricultural sector, strengthen the Low Carbon Agriculture Program (ABC) as the main strategy for the development of sustainable agriculture 
, including restoring an additional 15 million hectares of degraded pastures by 2030 and improving 5 million hectares of integrated crop-livestock-forest systems (ILPF) by 2030;
v) in the industrial sector, promote new clean technology standards and further enhance energy efficiency measures and low-carbon infrastructure;
vi) in the transport sector, further promote efficiency measures and improve infrastructure for transport and public transportation in urban areas.
Brazil recognizes the importance of engaging local governments and their efforts in combating climate change.
Source: BrazilGovnews and Itamarty