Brazil's National Plan on Climate Change, formulated by several government ministries and launched earlier this month, sets out policies aimed at achieving sustainable development.

Its goals include the following:

• a 10% reduction in Brazil's annual electricity consumption by 2030;
• maintaining the high proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources (currently 89%);
• annual increases of more than 10% in the already widespread use of sugarcane ethanol as a fuel for motor vehicles;
• making it obligatory for all diesel to contain 5% biodiesel from 2010 onwards.

The plan also aims to achieve a 40% reduction in average annual deforestation in 2006-09 in comparison with 1996-2005, followed by two further reductions of 30% in the periods 2010-13 and 2014-17. Achieving these targets, however, will depend on generating the necessary funds – not just domestically, through initiatives such as the Amazon Fund, but also internationally.

Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change developing countries such as Brazil do not have any quantitative obligations with regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but are committed to developing measures both to 'mitigate' and 'facilitate adequate adaption to' climate change in accordance with their specific circumstances. The implementation of these commitments is dependent on developed countries providing new financial resources and meeting their own obligations with regard to the financing and transfer of technology.

Click here for the Executive Summary of the National Plan on Climate Change.

Source: Ministry of External Relations and Embassy of Brazil in London