In 2021, Brazil had the second largest increase in greenhouse gas emissions in a period of almost two decades, according to a report released today (23), by the Climate Observatory, the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) and other partner entities. That year, the volume grew 12.5% and reached 2.4 billion gross tons, less than that registered in 2003, when it rose 20%. The amplification of deforestation, especially in the Amazon, is the main reason for the rise, according to Ipam. From 2020 to 2021, the total CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e) that affected Brazilian biomes increased from 1 billion to 1.19 billion gross tons. In 2021, the states of Pará and Mato Grosso top the list, accounting, respectively, for 18.5% and 11.1% of the volume of gases released into the atmosphere. Next, are Minas Gerais (6.9%), São Paulo (6.5%) and Amazonas (5.7%), which surpasses Rondônia as the third state with the most emissions from deforestation in the country. The study reveals that land-use change is the component that drove most of Brazil’s gross emissions two years ago. When the emissions resulting from deforestation of areas and other changes in land use are added to those resulting from agribusiness activities, it appears that these are equivalent to 74% of all climate pollution recorded in 2021 in the country. “Most of the gross emissions (92%) are caused by changes in land use, which mostly consist of deforestation in the Amazon biome, which concentrate 77% (911 MtCO2e) of the sector’s gross emissions in 2021”, emphasizes the Ipam, in note. Recommendations The SEEG document indicates that the spread of gases in the atmosphere, in the country, was twice as high as the world average in 2021. The team responsible for the measurement analyzes data collected since 1970 and the consequences of emissions for the climate goals that the country establishes. The report recommends that the federal government correct “immediately the carbon ‘pedal’ of the Brazilian Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC, its acronym in English), before the meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which takes place in June 2023 in Bonn, Germany. Another suggestion is that the government promote a participatory model to build an NDC for 2030, which replaces the previous one and is compatible with the target of 1.5°C. Finally, the researchers advise government authorities to draw up a plan to implement the NDC and establish a trajectory for emissions in Brazil, which provides for carbon budgets with maximum amounts to be emitted each year or every five years and which contains a proposal for actions to combat deforestation and forest recovery.
Agência Brasil
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