Written by Juliano Bueno de Araújo
There is no doubt that the UN Convention on Climate Change is one of the most important conferences that focuses on the environment in the whole world. Brazil’s decision to not host COP25 is, undoubtedly, a risky choice. It puts at stake their so called “global leadership in sustainable development” that was put forward by the government at the time it recommended to host in October of this year. This past Wednesday Nov 28, Brazil’s elected government – which will take office from January 2019 – said that they’re studying the possibility of withdrawing the country from the Paris Agreement.
It is known that the country that hosts the conference needs to contribute to the achievement of the goals, and the dialogue between all the nations needs to be positive. In the case of Brazil, it could mean a great deal: they would need to combat deforestation, invest in renewable energy, etc.
It’s even possible to say that, in this moment, the Brazilian government is saying YES to global warming and is losing its leading role on the environmental agenda. Now, it is up to us, Brazilians and citizens of the whole world, to await the next steps and hope that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which involves reducing all the emissions, keep being fulfilled.
Juliano Bueno de Araújo is the coordinator of Climate Campaigns at 350.org Brazil and founder and national coordinator of the Non-Fracking Brazil Coalition for Climate, Water and Life (COESUS) and the International Institute Arayara