Sao Paulo Skyline R. Castello

The state of São Paulo became the first Brazilian state to pass a climate change bill decreeing that it reduce its emissions by 20% by 2020 to a 2005 baseline. The law approved follows a similar municipal bill passed in June setting an emissions reduction target of 30% by 2012.

Despite it being welcomed as a start, opposition deputies see it as falling well short and lacking in detail.  Former secretary for the environment in Sao Paulo, Adriano Dogo (PT) claimed that it was too vague, not touching on issues such as he burning of sugar cane chaff, nor detailing inspection frameworks. He added that setting targets before a full inventory had been established made the bill redundant.

Beyond setting out  public infrastructure investment plans  and calling for the creation of incentives for reducing emissions, particularly around the transport sector, the new law states that an inventory broken down by sector will be publised every 5 years with the first one coming out in December 2010.

Source: estadao.com.br via @AldemBourscheit

This line in the sand demonstrates how countries like Brazil are playing catch up in the casting themselves as leaders in the fight against climate change. This news comes on the back of an announcement that at Copenhagen, President Lula will commit the country to an 80% reduction in deforestation by 2020 . Whilst this will be a welcome commitment ( official communique on 20th October apparently), if Lula wants to show how serious he really is industrial commitments and targets need to be set.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Marina Silva called for the Lula administration to break with business as usual approach that lead to the former environment minister resigning.

“We should ensure that Brazil is committed to targets but these should be global targets – not just for reducing deforestation but covering all sectors that produce emissions,”

COP-15 will be another step along the road of the world’s spheres of influence being redrawn. It is in Brazil’s best interests that it keeps pace with its new role, not solely calling for grandfathering and big payments from OECD countries. Brazil’s stance in Copenhagen should continue its recent moves on the global stage (such as its recent agreement of a US$10bn loan to the IMF) and be bold!.

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