Brazil follows US and China in ratifying Paris climate agreement
The Brazilian Government has ratified the Paris climate change agreement, following the examples of China and the US. Brazil is Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, producing approximately 2.5% of the world’s carbon dioxide. The country has pledged a 37% reduction in emissions from its 2005 baseline by 2025, with a further “intended reduction” of 43% by 2030. The Paris accord will come into force when 55 countries responsible for a minimum 55% of global emissions formally join, which some analysts believe could be achieved later this year.

The Brazilian government has ratified its participation in the Paris agreement on climate change, a significant step by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that could spur other countries to follow suit.

With a landmass larger than the continental US, Brazil emits about 2.5% of the world’s carbon dioxide and other polluting gases, according to United Nations data.

“Our government is concerned about the future,” said President Michel Temer during a signing ceremony in Brasilia. “Everything we do today is not aimed at tomorrow, but rather at a future that preserves the living conditions of Brazilians.”

Temer said Brazil’s ratification would be presented formally to the UN later this month.

The Paris agreement will enter into force once 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions have formally joined it. Climate experts say that could happen later this year.

Countries set their own targets for reducing emissions. The targets are not legally binding, but nations must update them every five years. Using 2005 levels as the baseline, Brazil committed to cutting emissions 37% by 2025 and an “intended reduction” of 43% by 2030.

In the last decade, Brazil has achieved significant emissions cuts thanks to efforts to reduce deforestation in the Amazon and increase in the use of energy from hydropower and other renewable sources including wind, solar and biomass.

The Paris accord got a boost earlier this month when the US president, Barack Obama, and China’s President Xi Jinping sealed their nations’ participation.

“Brazil is now the next major country to move forward. It will add even greater momentum,” said David Waskow, director of the International Climate Initiative at the Washington, DC-based thinktank the World Resources Institute.