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 Earlier this month, 14 major Brazilian organizations representing the agribusiness, planted forests and bioenergy sectors announced the creation of the Brazilian Climate Alliance, with the goal of contributing with what they call "solid proposals for the negotiations related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change."
The main focus is the agenda that the Brazilian government has been defending in global negotiations, culminating with the 15th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 15), next December in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Alliance's Position Paper highlights the global nature of the challenges linked to climate change as a key factor for organizations to unite behind a single effort. The document also points to the need for coordinated and urgent steps that prioritize available technologies that are economically viable and ensure short-term impact.
"In the Alliance's view, the position paper is a work in progress that will evolve as negotiations and other initiatives along the same lines progress," explains the President of the Brazilian Agribusiness Association (ABAG), Carlo Lovatelli.
The sectors that form the Alliance are sources of renewable energy, such as ethanol, biodiesel, planted forests, wood charcoal and other forms of biomass capable of substituting fossil and highly polluting fuels. Together, the products from the sectors represented in the Alliance account for over 20% of the entire Brazilian energy matrix.
"It is essential for Brazil to move forward with proposals that increase the possibilities of earning carbon credits, something to which Brazil's access has been unfairly limited. It's as if we are being penalized for being pioneers in various initiatives that clearly help to reduce carbon emissions, but are not recognized by existing mechanisms, such as the large-scale production and use of ethanol," observes the President of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), Marcos Jank.
The Brazilian Climate Alliance stresses that Brazil, a country with one of the cleanest energy matrixes in the world, with over 40% of its makeup originating from renewable sources, should play a leading role in global climate discussions.
"In spite of this number, the image that prevails and has to be changed is that of a carbon-emitting Brazil, particularly because of deforestation and burnings that happen in the Amazon. For that reason, Brazil ends up being included among the villains of global warming," said Elizabeth de Carvalhaes, Executive President of the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association (Bracelpa).
The Position Paper emphasizes that the sectors represented in the Alliance contribute with 16% of Brazil's total exports. These sectors are also recognized for developing and disseminating responsible production practices that end up not receiving due recognition. This is a situation that directly and negatively impacts access to important consumer markets, which see these sectors out of context and as a result, penalize their products.
The Brazilian Climate Alliance's position is divided into two pillars: (1) recommendations regarding the international procedures that should be defined by the negotiations under the Climate Convention, and (2) recommendations for steps that should be taken by Brazil.
Among recommendations with a global scope:
* Reductions in the rate of deforestation proposed in the National Plan on Climate Change should be the object of a clear commitment by Brazil before the international community as Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, known as NAMAs, which are voluntary commitments made by developing countries to mitigate climate change under the Convention.
* It is necessary to revise the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and make it more practical. Since the CDMs were created to allow developing countries to contribute with mitigation goals undertaken by developed countries, it is essential to develop methodologies that are simpler and more effective, as well as capable of encouraging projects within specific sectors.
* Insurance mechanisms and periodic monitoring are recommended as a solution to the issue of "risk of non-permanence," which refers to the maintenance of carbon sequestration in forest projects. To that end, it is essential for the European Union to remove internal barriers to the commercialization of forestry credits under the scope of the CDM.
* It is vital that Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, or NAMAs, also consider agricultural, planted forests and bioenergy activities that effectively contribute to the reduction of emissions, or to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
* The mechanism known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) should be structured to ensure that financial incentives resulting from it go directly to the agents responsible for reductions, such as traditional communities and rural landowners.
In terms of specific steps by the Brazilian government, the Alliance recommends the adoption of initiatives aimed at the development of a low-carbon economy:
* Search for improvements in the integration of various government sectors and levels concerned with the issue, to prevent against contradictory proposals, or steps that do not consider the opportunities generated by international mitigation mechanisms such as the CDM and others that could be developed in the future.
* National public policies designed to achieve mitigation should privilege emission reduction trading mechanisms, avoiding the common practice of simply taxing carbon emissions.
* In addition to multilateral negotiations, to recognize the importance for Brazil of a simultaneous and pro-active strategy of bilateral negotiations on climate change, and the challenges and opportunities that such negotiations can produce.
* To enhance the relationship between government and private sector, through a permanent consultation and dialogue mechanism on international negotiations related to climate change.
Organizations that form the Brazilian Climate Alliance:
ABAG - Brazilian Agribusiness Association
ABAG/RP - Brazilian Agribusiness Association for the Ribeirão Preto region
ABIOVE - Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries
ABRAF - Brazilian Association of Forest Plantation Producers
ABTCP - Brazilian Pulp and Paper Technical Association
ALCOPAR - Association of Alcohol and Sugar Producers of the State of Paraná Association
ARES - Institute for Responsible Agribusiness
BIOSUL - Bioenergy Producers Association of Mato Grosso do Sul
BRACELPA - Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association
ICONE (technical support) - Institute for International Trade Negotiations
ORPLANA - Sugarcane Growers Association of the Center South Region of Brazil
SIAMIG - Alcohol Manufacturing Industry's Union of Minas Gerais
SIFAEG - Syndicate of the Industry of Fabrication of Alcohol of the State of Goiás
UNICA - Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association
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Brazil received a huge boost in its international image with its selection as the host of the 2016 Olympics, but it was really just the cherry on top of the overall recognition of the country's ascension to the ranks of one of the world's most important countries. Now, as it finally takes its place on the world scene, there has been a great deal of concern about what kind of image Brazil hopes to project, now that the world is really paying attention. 
The only good thing to say about the visit to Brazil of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday November 23, is that it was mercifully short and lasted less than 24 hours. Ahmadinejad had his picture taken being hugged by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who gave him a warm welcome and said Iran had every right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 
The small, coastal town of Condé is located just a twenty minute's drive from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. The Northeast of Brazil has historically been a place of encounter and mixing between peoples. For millenia groups of indigenous people fished, farmed, migrated and sometimes fought along this large, fertile area. 
The Brazilian diplo-MÁ-cia (bad diplomacy) carries on its accelerated course towards the non-acknowledgment of human rights, although sometimes it takes pleasure in saying that it does precisely the opposite. The visit of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is another example of a diplomatic omission that verges on hypocrisy. 
On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil. 
Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms. 
One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis. 
On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking. 
Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse. 
Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose.
Just imagine 200 millions cattles and each of them are far more polluting than a car !
What about Vale and their open pit mines ? Growing Oil production. Just look at Saudi Arabia and they are one of the world biggest polluter despite their relatively SMALL population ! DUE TO OIL PRODUCTION AND REFINERIES....OBVIOUSLY !
What else do they produce ?
And 2/3rd of Brazil exports are basic commodities, most of them HIGHLY POLLUTING to produce !
Globalization is very good for developed nations.
Everything that is polluting will more and more be produced by emerging nations.
From refineries to mining to cattles, chickens, swines, to steel mills etc etc etc etc !
VIVA GLOBALIZATION !
Our air already is and will continue fresher and fresher.
Enjoy your drowning slowly but surely.
For example, If the USA have not built ONE nuclear power plant and not ONE oil refinery over the last 30 years it is not due to lack of money, expertise or technology....until proven otherwise ! Better to import oil despite they have plenty. Better to import refined oil products than produce them locally.
And Canada with their highly polluting Oil Sands are not in the right direction either. It will end up as a major major ecological disaster for THEM...in 10-20 years ! Garanteed !
Petrobras is building 5 new oil refineries, and as stated by its chief...to also EXPORT gasoline to the USA !!!!
And no doubt even with an eye for export to Europe !
WELCOME !
Hi Hi !