2 July 2015
US-Brazil Intensify Collaboration on Climate Change
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During an official visit to Washington DC, US, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff agreed with US President Barack Obama to intensify the collaboration between the two countries, both bilaterally and under the UNFCCC.

They issued a Joint US-Brazil Statement on Climate Change that addresses: leadership on the road to the Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015; ambitious climate action; the launch of a Brazil-US Joint Initiative on Climate Change; cooperation on sustainable land use; and cooperation on clean energy and on climate change adaptation.

us-brazil30 June 2015: During an official visit to Washington DC, US, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff agreed with US President Barack Obama to intensify the collaboration between the two countries, both bilaterally and under the UNFCCC. They issued a Joint US-Brazil Statement on Climate Change that addresses: leadership on the road to the Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015; ambitious climate action; the launch of a Brazil-US Joint Initiative on Climate Change; cooperation on sustainable land use; and cooperation on clean energy and on climate change adaptation.

On the road to Paris, the two countries support: strong nationally determined contributions (NDCs); regular updating by Parties to promote greater ambition over time; encouragement of longer-term strategies for transitioning to low-carbon economies; strong and credible transparency, including reporting and review, and periodic stocktaking; and an agreement that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), given differing national circumstances.

Both Obama and Rousseff affirmed the need for “continued, robust financial support” for both mitigation and adaptation efforts, and underscored the benefits of early mitigation actions for limiting global temperature increase.

On ambitious climate action, Obama commended Brazil for its mitigation achievements, particularly through curbing deforestation in the Amazon. The US intends to achieve an economy-wide target of emission reductions of 26%-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. Brazil indicates that it will “present a fair and ambitious intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) that represents its highest possible effort beyond its current actions.” It aims to, inter alia, restore and reforest 12 million hectares of forests by 2030. Both countries intend to: increase the share of renewables, beyond hydropower, in their respective electricity generation mixes to 20% by 2030; and work under the Montreal Protocol to consider amendment proposals to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

The Joint Statement further indicates that the two Presidents launch a Joint Initiative on Climate Change. The Joint Initiative will be implemented through a high-level US-Brazil Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation on issues related to land use, clean energy, adaptation, and policy dialogues on domestic and international climate issues. The CCWG is expected to begin its work by October 2015, and will provide a platform to manage initiatives related to, inter alia: cooperation on sustainable land use.

On cooperation on sustainable land use, the two sides agree to: “promote actions on forests, agriculture, and land use to contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience as well as enhance economic growth.” They also commit to commit to “new and improved management of their forests, croplands and grasslands to increase resilience in forests and agricultural systems.”

In the context of the CCWG, the two countries will launch a ‘Binational Program on Forest and Land Sector Investment,’ which will include the convening a public-private Forum on Innovative Forest Investment and the launch of a Binational Expert Group of government agencies to improve the conditions for forest investment in the two countries.

On cooperation on clean energy, the two Presidents agree to: strengthen bilateral cooperation mechanisms for energy, including the Strategic Energy Dialogue; and cooperate in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy research, nuclear power generation and the catalyzation of finance.

On cooperation on adaptation, the two countries agree to work together to build climate resilience in areas such as biodiversity and ecosystems, infrastructure, agricultural production and food security, and water resources. They further agree to: continue collaborating on atmospheric and ecosystem science research; and cooperate on managing issues at the water-energy nexus, in the context of climate change. [Joint US-Brazil Statement]

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