By 2008, Brazil will have reduced the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane gas, according to José Miguez, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Climate Change linked to the Science and Technology Ministry.

The reduction stems from the implementation of 105 projects that have been approved by the CDM Executive Board, the international body established by the Kyoto Protocol which evaluates initiatives to increase efficiency in energy production and reduce the damage caused to the environment.

In an interview to Agência Brasil (Brazilian News Agency), Mr Miguez informed that another 133 projects have already been approved and that they will be implemented in the subsequent years and the gas emissions reduction should reach the mark of 26 millions of tons per annum.

These statistics rank Brazil in the third place among the countries that succeeded in achieving the largest planned reductions until the year 2012, corresponding to about 10% of the estimated total. China is the first, and is likely to account for 50%, and the second is India, with reductions of 29%.

It is important to note that this estimate does not include further reductions resulting from the decrease of deforestation rates, which fell by 49% between 2004 and 2006 and could fall again by 30% this year.

Source: Agência Brasil and Embassy of Brazil in London