Joaquim Leite criticizes jets and ‘extremely forced emission reduction’ in speech at COP27

Brazilian Environment Minister Joaquim Leite criticized, in a speech at the COP27 plenary session, political leaders, philanthropists and businessmen who came to the UN climate change conference with private jets and demanded reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite the world racing against time to stop the catastrophic increase in temperature, the minister used the space to say that he does not believe in an “extremely forced reduction in emissions, via fees and costs to various economic sectors, with the risk of generating inflation green and increasing poverty”.

Studies and international organizations point out that a drastic and immediate reduction of emissions —which is only possible with heavy investments from the public and private sectors— is the only way to prevent the current climate extremes seen around the world from becoming even more destructive and expensive for humanity, especially for the most vulnerable populations.

The speech took place on Tuesday afternoon (15), in Sharm el-Sheikh, a city basically composed of luxury resorts in Egypt, on the shores of the Red Sea.

Leite’s criticism —linked to emissions associated with private jet trips—, as the speech indicates, is directed at developed countries and their representatives.

Interestingly, however, also this Tuesday, President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) arrived at the climate conference by ride on a jet with businessman José Seripieri Filho, known as Júnior, founder of Qualicorp and owner of QSaúde.

With the ride, the president-elect became the target of criticism, especially from opposition federal deputies more linked to President Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Lula was even warned by allies about the possible political cost of the trip on the jet.

Leite’s speech repeated issues explored throughout the Bolsonaro administration, such as criticism without explanations to environmental inspections and NGOs. Ironically, the criticisms are made during a conference in Egypt, a country that has a recent history of repression of civil society, including an estimated thousands of political prisoners.

“We reversed the logic of previous governments that only acted to fine, reduce and blame”, said Leite, citing work “together with the private sector to find profitable climate and environmental solutions for companies, people and nature”.

Once again talking about the private sector, at the end of the speech he returned to quoting previous governments and accused them, without evidence or further explanation, of focusing on “sending resources only to NGOs”. Bolsonaro, from the beginning, distanced himself from civil society and came to accuse NGOs of environmental crimes, such as fires, also without any evidence or explanation. Former Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, following the same line and also without evidence, even suggested a relationship between the oil environmental disaster that hit the Brazilian Northeast and a Greenpeace boat.

The minister, however, right at the beginning of his speech, recognized that illegal deforestation in the Amazon is one of the “enormous environmental challenges” that Brazil needs to face. It was the only mention, in his speech, of the largest rainforest in the world.

It is worth mentioning that the Bolsonaro government was marked by questioning the very government data on deforestation and fires that point to the critical environmental situation in the Amazon.

Part of the speech by the current Minister of the Environment resonated with well-known criticisms from developing countries about the unfulfilled promises of classical funding. There was a commitment, on the part of the rich countries, of an annual budget of US$ 100 billion until 2020, a value that has never been reached.

“We will continue to remember the commitment of rich countries to finance developing countries with relevant volumes and efficiently for the implementation of mitigation, adaptation and compensation for losses and damages”

Leite also took Brazilian “green energies” to the plenary, citing the country’s clean energy matrix, a highlight that is seen in the various illuminated panels that adorn the front of the Bolsonaro government’s official stand at COP27. During the current administration, however, thermoelectric plants were contracted, which ends up “dirtying” the national matrix.

The minister also mentioned government programs to reduce the number of dumps, methane emission reduction and low emission in agriculture, in addition to mentioning the recycling of crop protection packaging.

The current Minister of the Environment also spoke briefly about the carbon market. “Brazil is going to be the leader in this environmental compensation and export carbon credits to polluting companies and countries,” he said.

The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations