Zero deforestation is the main measure against emissions, reports reports

Reset deforestation – especially in the Amazon – has been consolidated as an essential measure for Decrease greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil according to reports produced in the last decade by the emission estimation system and greenhouse gas removal (SEEG ), an initiative of the Climate Observatory .

With the Google Pinpoint tool aid a CNN analyzed Reports produced in the last ten years SEEG editions and changes in the institution’s recommendations directed to the Brazilian government. Through the artificial intelligence assistant integrated into the platform, the Gemini it was possible to list the main measures proposed each year.

When checking the documents produced from 2015 to 2024, it is possible to understand how the proposal of zero deforestation It has gained more and more importance for the country to be able to curb its emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on time.

SEEG was created in the early 2010 to monitor and disseminate reliable data on Brazilian carbon emissions. Since the beginning of the historical series in 1990, the change in land use (sector in which deforestation) represents the largest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Brazil in every year.

“The Brazilian emissions profile is very dominated by the emission of deforestation. The first thing Brazil should do to fit into a low carbon trajectory is to control deforestation,” he noted to CNN the coordinator of SEEG, David Tsai .

Because of this, the Brazilian scenario to reduce emissions is different from that faced by most of the other states, which are focused on making the energy transition to renewable sources – a scenario that Brazil already lives.

“In the world in general, the great villain of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels, which represents more than 70% [das emissões] In the international level. We also have a problem with burning fuel in the energy sector [no Brasil]mainly because of our road matrix. But much of our emissions comes from deforestation and, due to volume, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, ”said the former president of Ibama and current coordinator of public policies at the Climate Observatory, Suely Araújo in an interview with CNN .

Brazil has in force two goals: end 2025 with an emission of a maximum of 1,320 million tons of carbon dioxide (MTCO2); and 2030 issuing a maximum of 1,200 mtco2-a value that represents a 53% reduction compared to the 2005 base year.

Advantage or disadvantage?

With a large percentage of GHG emissions linked to deforestation, it may seem that the way for Brazil to achieve its climate goals is simpler than for other countries. However, according to Tsai, this “advantage” is illusory.

“In terms of emission reduction speed, Brazil can deliver much more than other countries,” said the SEEG coordinator. “But if we exclude deforestation, the average Brazilian emissions, per inhabitant, becomes equal to the average world emissions. With deforestation, the average Brazilian emits much more than an average citizen in the world. So, in fact, we are starting behind.”

That is, zeroing deforestation may be the starting point, but for the country to become neutral carbon – that is, remove the same amount of gee that is emitted – it is necessary to attack emissions in all sectors (agriculture, energy, residues, etc.).

Advances and setbacks in the last decade

Among the advances observed in the reports of the last decade are the increase in organization, transparency and institutionalization of the fight against climate change. If the first documents included charges for periodic dissemination of deforestation data, today the country is a world reference in monitoring land use changes.

“There was an insertion of climate policy in the various sectors of the government,” says Tsai. “Of course there is still a lot to improve, but we see a growing movement every year, state and municipal governments appropriating the agenda.”

In reports, however, many recommendations were constant: decarbonization of the economy in all sectors, the recovery of forest areas and the end of deforestation, and the bet on renewable energy, among others. The repetition of these measures indicates that the country failed to achieve the expected goals in these areas, even after ten years.

Are we acting fast enough?

If experts on the subject have been saying the same thing for ten years, does it mean that the government is not acting at the pace it should?

“In practice, we have not seen concrete results in terms of emissions. After the publication of the National Climate Change Policy [em 2009]the expectation was that we had Brazil being placed in a decarbonization trajectory. And what we see was the opposite, it was a trajectory of increased emissions. That’s why these recommendations are repeated, ”says Tsai.

Suely Araújo also notes that, in the midst of this last decade, the four years of Bolsonaro government were marked by a dismantling of the environmental agencies, which made the country run after the damage.

“You can’t talk about the last 10 years without this interruption. In the Bolsonaro government, the deforestation of the Amazon has grown again. The Amazon Fund, the Climate Fund, were paralyzed,” says Araújo.

And if Brazil does not seem to be acting quickly to combat climate change, this is also the scenario in most other countries.

“On the global average, we are not adopting the measurements quickly sufficiently,” added the SEEG coordinator. “Most countries, or at least the most emitting countries, are not delivering a reduction in emissions compatible with the Paris Agreement.”

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Source: CNN Brasil