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Low carbon society (LCS) and sustainable development (SD): Perspectivesof Brazil
Haroldo Machado Filho, Brazil
In December 2007, under the multilateral climate change regime, Parties reached anagreement on the framework to address climate change during the post-2012 period.
One of the most important pillars of this framework is the Bali Plan of Action, whichsets a negotiation process to be finalized by 2009 on long-term cooperative actions toaddress climate change by enhancing implementation of the UNFCCC.
According to the Bali Plan of Action, all countries must take part in the global efforts toreduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but these efforts must be based on theprinciple of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. In
this regard, the negotiation process addresses options on how to enhance national andinternational mitigation actions, including “nationally appropriate actions by developing
country Parties in the context of sustainable development, supported and enabled bytechnology, financing and capacity-building, in a measurable, reportable, and verifiable
manner.”Each developing country must pursue its path of development, in a sustainable manner,
based on its national circumstances, and should make all the efforts to reduce GHG.
These efforts must be strengthened through the provision of positive incentives,
including technology transfer and financing, from the international community.
Developing countries will need improved access to adequate, predictable andsustainable financial resources and technical support.
Based on its national circumstances, Brazilian efforts towards a LCS include tackling
deforestation and using ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. Deforestation is the main
source of GHG emissions in Brazil. However, the rate of forest loss in the last threeyears has decreased by almost 60%, which represents an unprecedented success in
reducing deforestation. Moreover, the use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline has
avoided emitting 644 Mt of CO2 over the last 30 years. In Brazil, ethanol production
from sugarcane not only reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is sociallysustainable, but it is also energy and cost- effective.
In fact, biofuels from developing countries (DCs) have a great untapped potential toreduce global GHG emissions. However, major energy consumers in the developed
world have placed all kinds of barriers to biofuels from DCs. Barriers to biofuels distort
markets, raise energy prices, spread poverty, endanger food security and are totallyinconsistent with climate concerns. Therefore, barriers to biofuels should be removed
promptly and unconditionally.
A successful conclusion to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round ofnegotiations, with the inclusion of ethanol and biodiesel in the list of environmental
goods and services, is fundamental for the reduction of tariff barriers related to biofuel
exports. Efforts should be deployed to ensure that ethanol and biodiesel will be
produced in a sustainable way, but these efforts shall not create unnecessary non-tariffbarriers to international trade, especially to exports from developing countries, orvalidate the current unsustainable consumption of fossil fuels.