Brazil laments US withdrawal from agreement to curb climate change, but says decision ‘can be circumvented’
23 de janeiro de 2025
The Paris Agreement, launched in 2015 to curb climate change, was ratified by almost all of the international community, except Iran, Libya and Yemen. – Pxhere
Brazil, which will host in November the UN environmental conference, known as COP 30, spoke on Tuesday (21) about his concerns regarding Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to curb climate change.
“We are still analyzing President Trump’s decisions, but there is no doubt that it will have a significant impact on the preparation of the COP and on how we will have to deal with the fact that such an important country is leaving this process,” said André Corrêa do Lago, appointed by President Lula, also on Tuesday, to preside over the conference.
The Brazilian ambassador stressed that the United States, one of the world’s biggest polluters, is “an essential player” in the fight against climate change.
However, despite the decision of the far-right billionaire-turned-president, who had already done the same during his first term (2017-2021), “It doesn’t mean that the agreement can’t find a way around” this absence, said the secretary of Climate, Energy and Environment at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Brazil and China’s leading roles
China expressed concern about Trump’s announcement through Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun. “Climate change is a common challenge faced by all of humanity and no country can remain indifferent or solve the problem alone,” said the representative.
During the first US withdrawal from the climate agreement, Beijing upheld the Paris Agreement and did not reject long-term goals. Currently, China produces more than half of the world’s electric vehicles, 70% of wind turbines and 80% of solar panels, essential measures for combating carbon emissions and climate change worldwide.
“China’s performance in implementing green technologies could be a lifesaver,” Li Shuo, an expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told AFP.
At the COPs, Beijing is considered an indispensable player. The country informally leads negotiations with rich countries on behalf of BRICS, a group of developing countries of which Brazil is a member and will temporarily preside in 2025.
“BRICS exists to build things. We have a lot of things to work on together. There is no focus on other countries and leaders,” stated Eduardo Saboia, a Brazilian diplomat responsible for the groups, during a recent interview with AFP before Trump’s announcement.
“This can possibly be a year for the Global South to lead discussions,” assessed Tim Sahay, co-director of the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University.
COP30 in Brazil and countries’ positions
At COP 30 in Belém do Pará, Brazilian diplomats will be promoting an increase in financial aid from developed countries to support developing countries in their energy transition process, a target that was not met at COP 29 in 2024 in Azerbaijan.
It will also debate the “adaptation issue”, highlighted in Brazil last year, especially after the floods in Rio Grande do Sul.
COP 30, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, will be an opportunity to review countries’ most recent commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change has been ratified by almost the entire international community, with exceptions such as Iran, Libya and Yemen. Now, governments have until next month to submit to the United Nations a revision of their climate goals until 2035.
Despite hosting the event, Brazil defends its right to continue exploiting hydrocarbon resources. According to the Brazilian government, organic compounds can generate clean energy thanks to its water resources, despite the need to extract them from oil, which is considered a polluting energy source.
A similar understanding is found in India, whose Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, talks about his country’s “leadership” in solar and wind energy, while defending coal exploitation.
The European Union, on the other hand, has a long tradition of climate leadership and has reduced its emissions by 7.5% between 2022 and 2023, well ahead of other major rich countries.
“The Paris Agreement remains humanity’s greatest hope. Europe will stay the course and continue to work with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming,” said Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission.
But countries like Germany have already asked the European Commission to slow down the energy transition in sectors like the car industry.
Other small players are showing goodwill, such as Colombia, which is leading international efforts to gradually eliminate oil, coal and fossil gas, even though they are the country’s main source of foreign revenue.
Edited by: Dayze Rocha
Fonte: Brasil de Fato | São Paulo |