Embassy of Brazil in London

Embaixada do Brasil em Londres

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1. Brazil is convinced that the international regime embodied by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol is the most appropriate legal instrument for directing —in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities— global efforts towards the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). Brazil ratified the Kyoto Protocol in August 2002, which entered into force in February 2005.

2. Scientific studies carried out by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prove that industrialised countries bear most of the responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. Developing countries, meanwhile, are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of global warming, namely rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts —all of which have a negative impact on agricultural production and the conservation of ecosystems (especially in the tropics), and also exacerbate the spread of diseases.

3. Brazil plays a prominent role in the discussions on climate change. Brazil took the initiative of introducing the idea of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which was incorporated in the Kyoto Protocol. As a developing country, and according to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, Brazil is not required to take specific action to meet the targets established by the Kyoto Protocol.

4. In the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 1997, Brazil proposed that differentiated targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions should be established, corresponding to each individual country's historical contribution to the increase in global temperatures. In studies concerning the methodological and scientific aspects of the "Brazilian Proposal", Brazilian scientists have been co-operating closely with their British counterparts —especially those at the Hadley Centre (UK Meteorological Office), who have been working with Brazilian institutions in modelling climate change scenarios resulting from possible temperature rises caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

5. In March 2006, during the State Visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both countries established the "UK-Brazil High-Level Dialogue on Sustainable Development". In the context of the Dialogue, a UK-Brazil Working Group on Climate Change was also created. Apart from meetings under these mechanisms, there have been regular consultations between Brazil and the United Kingdom in the form of parallel meetings between their respective delegations during the Conferences of the Parties to the UNFCCC. Brazil is keen to further its co-operation with the United Kingdom in the field of climate change.

6. Bearing in mind that the burning of fossil fuels is the principal cause of the anthropic emission of greenhouse gases, the development of renewable energy sources is a fundamental part of the efforts towards the mitigation of global warming. Brazil has been leading those efforts: the National Ethanol Programme and the National Programme of Biodiesel Production and Use have been particularly successful. Ethanol has substituted 40% of the petrol used in passenger cars, thus helping to limit GHG emissions in the transport sector.

7. The Interministerial Commission on Climate Change (CIMGC), composed of nine ministries and headed by the Ministry of Science and Technology, was established in 1999 for the purpose of co-ordinating governmental discussions on the theme. Though CIMGC deliberates on government policies, it welcomes the involvement all stakeholders and representatives of civil society. Indeed, the Brazilian government encourages wide and inclusive debate as a key element for addressing the issue of climate change, and the level of participation of civil society has increased significantly.

8. Brazil participated in the Informal Thematic Debate "Climate Change as a Global Challenge", promoted by the United National General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa (New York, July 31st – August 1st, 2007).

9. Speech delivered by the Director-General of the Department of the Environment and Special Themes of the Ministry of External Relations, Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, which summarizes Brazil's perspective on climate change in the international context.

August 2007