In 2019, greenhouse gas emissions increased 9.6% in Brazil, the first year of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, according to SEEG (the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation System). The data is included in the eighth edition of the platform and was presented during an extensive and important discussion on November 6, on the YouTube channel of the Climate Observatory.
In all, the country released 2.17 billion gross tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) into the atmosphere, while in 2018 the number had been 1.98 billion. This consolidated the reversal of the trend of the reduction of emissions in the country verified between 2004 and 2010 – and should confirm the non-compliance with the target of the National Policy on Climate Change for 2020.
“We are on a dangerous path. Since 2010, the year of the national climate law regulation, the country has increased by 28% the quantity of greenhouse gases it discharges into the air every year, instead of reducing it,” said Tasso Azevedo, the SEEG coordinator. “At its current rate and with the indications we have at our disposal, the country will not be able to comply with the 2020 target and is moving away from the 2025 target.”
The growth in emissions, as expected, has been driven by the deforestation in the Amazon. According to Ane Alencar, the science director at IPAM (the Institute for Environmental Research of the Amazon), the disregard of the Bolsonaro administration with environmental policy is also significantly important, remembering that the data presented by SEEG not only has an impact on Brazilian international commitments, but also directly threatens the reputation of the national agribusiness.
SEEG 8 was developed by researchers from IPAM, IMAFLORA, IEMA (Institute for Energy and the Environment) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
Watch the full presentation:
