Brazil has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 67% by 2035, setting a more ambitious target than the previous 59% reduction.
The new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Brazil will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which began on Monday, November 11.
The NDC is the climate target that Brazil has adopted as a reference to comply with the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015. This agreement established a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) for average global warming compared to pre-industrial levels.
“This commitment paves the way for Brazil to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the long-term goal of the country’s climate strategy,” stated the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
From the ministry’s perspective, the revision made to the NDC follows the principle of the Paris Agreement to gradually increase ambition.What is COP29?
The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29) took place in November in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The overall goal of the meeting is for states to reach an agreement, develop, and share plans to address climate change. This means preventing additional global warming and also helping those who have been most affected so far to adapt or rebuild their lives.
In 2015, the Paris Agreement made it mandatory for all states to set targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the increase in global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, however, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has emphasized that the most catastrophic effects of climate change can only be avoided if we limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century.
It is important to note that even 1.5°C of warming will entail mass displacements, damage to livelihoods, and loss of lives, with low-income countries being the most affected. Currently, the world is on track for an increase of 2.6 to 3.1°C this century.
Source: Agência Brasil and COP29