In a shift in its environmental commitments, Brazil decided to sign an important agreement on forest protection that will be announced at COP26, the United Nations conference on climate change. The information was given to BBC News Brasil by Ambassador Paulino Franco de Carvalho Neto, secretary for Multilateral Political Affairs.
During the meeting, which takes place between October 31 and November 12, commitments in at least four areas will be negotiated: forest protection, transition to electric cars, financing from rich countries to developing nations and elimination of the use of fossil fuels .
The agreement on forest maintenance is considered one of the most important and Brazil’s participation, where most of the Amazon is located, was still uncertain. But the government decided to sign the commitment, which indicates a sign of change in the government’s international discourse on environmental policy.
“Brazil will sign the Forest Deal (forest agreement). We are satisfied with the final result. This demonstrates once again the new Brazilian posture of commitment to sustainable development issues and specifically to climate change,” Carvalho Neto told BBC News Brasil.
“Brazil has the expectation that the world’s largest economies will do their part as well, especially in reducing the use of fossil energy, the main cause of global warming,” demanded the ambassador, who heads Brazil’s negotiations at COP26.
The call Forest Deal will be prominently announced at COP26 on November 2, when leaders from dozens of countries will attend the conference in Glasgow, Scotland, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It is expected to set the 2030 target to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation globally.
Brazilian participation, given the relevance of the Amazon to climate balance, is considered crucial.
Change in environmental policy?
But there were doubts about whether the Bolsonaro government would accept being part of the agreement, which should include, for example, commitments to protect and recognize indigenous peoples as “guardians of the forest”, and defend regulatory mechanisms to prevent international trade in products responsible for the deforestation, such as cattle raised on protected lands.
It is possible that there are even provisions for direct financing to indigenous peoples for the preservation of the environment in their territories.
By adhering to the agreement, Brazil will be committing to principles that clash with proposals in the National Congress for proposals that until then were defended by the federal government, such as the legalization of deforested public lands for agriculture and the release of mining in indigenous territories .
“The signing will be an indication of a change in environmental policy. It is an important signal. But signing this agreement will not be enough. The country has below zero credibility. We have to demonstrate that deforestation will fall through means of command and control “, told BBC Brasil the biologist Roberto Waack, who is a member of the board of directors of Marfrig, the second largest beef producer in the world.
What does the Forest Deal say?
The terms of the text are still being negotiated, but it must address four areas: protection of indigenous peoples; promotion of an environmentally sustainable supply and demand chain for commodities; funding to promote green economy; and defending regulations that limit international trade in products linked to deforestation.
For Waack, adherence to the text brings more economic opportunities than damage to Brazilian agriculture.
“The business sector that is in the international market has already realized that it has many more opportunities than barriers”, said the biologist, who is also co-author of the book “Repensando a Amazônia”.
“We have an agribusiness with technological capacity and good conservation instruments, but everything is in a bag only in the international perception and everyone is harmed by the government’s signal to defend deforestation.”
.
