President Dilma Rousseff makes pronouncement in meeting the United Nations in Manhattan, New York (Mike Segar / Reuters)
President Dilma Rousseff said on Sunday, speaking at the UN Headquarters in New York, that Brazil will reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 43% by 2030. Rousseff said the goal already includes efforts undertaken since 2005 to combat deforestation.
Rousseff reaffirmed the country's commitment to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon, as announced jointly with US President Barack Obama in June, but did not declare the end of deforestation in general as expected by some environmental groups. Estimates of Brazilian researchers indicate that the legal deforestation can still be held in an area of about 100 million hectares, equivalent to the size of Colombia.
Brazil plans to also compensate the regulated deforestation, but the president did not elaborate on the subject. "Brazil is one of the few developing countries to take an absolute target to reduce emissions," said Rousseff in his speech at the UN.
"We have one of the largest populations and GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the world and our goals are equally or more ambitious than those of developed countries," he added. Deforestation in the world accounts for 15% of emissions of greenhouse overall, equivalent to that emitted by the transportation sector. Brazil is the country with the largest rainforest in the world.
(With agênica Reuters)
