Brazil has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 67% by 2035, setting a more ambitious target than its previous goal of a 59% reduction.
The new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Brazil will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in 2024 for 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 for complying with the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015. This agreement established a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) on 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 Environment and Climate Change.
From the ministry’s perspective, the revision made to the NDC follows the principle of the Paris Agreement of gradually increasing ambition.
What is COP29?
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) was opened on Monday, November 11, in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The summit takes place from November 11 to 22, and the overall goal of the meeting is for states to agree, develop, and share plans to address climate change. This means preventing further 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 a legal requirement 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.
At COP29, countries’ progress in addressing climate change will be measured against this 1.5 °C target. It is important to note that even 1.5 °C of warming will entail mass displacement, damage to livelihoods, and loss of lives, with low-income countries being the most affected. Currently, the world is on track for a temperature increase of 2.6 to 3.1 °C this century.
Source: Agência Brasil and COP29