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Brazil recorded its biggest annual fall in greenhouse gas emissions last year since 2009, according to statistics released Monday, providing a boost for left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he prepares to host UN climate talks.<\/p>\n
The gross emissions of Latin America’s biggest country fell by 16.7 percent year-on-year, according to Brazil’s Climate Observatory, a network of environmental NGOs.<\/p>\n
The reduction in emissions were attributed to the success of Lula’s government in fighting deforestation.<\/p>\n
“The new data shows the impact of the federal government retaking control over deforestation after a deliberate lack of control between 2019 and 2022,” the observatory said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The remark was a reference to Lula’s far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, a climate skeptic, under whose watch illegal deforestation accelerated, particularly in the Amazon.<\/p>\n
Lula defeated Bolsonaro in October 2022 elections to win a third term in power.<\/p>\n
He has pledged zero deforestation by 2030.<\/p>\n
Since Lula’s return to the presidency, the rate of forest clearance in the Amazon, the world’s biggest tropical forest, has fallen steadily.<\/p>\n
Despite the good news on emissions, the observatory warned that Brazil’s economy caused concern about the government’s commitment to its climate targets.<\/p>\n
It drew attention to Lula’s contentious support for a vast offshore oil project near the mouth of the Amazon river.<\/p>\n
Last month, Petrobras began drilling for oil in the Foz de Amazonas region after winning a five-year environmental battle for permission to explore the area.<\/p>\n
Lula insists the oil revenues will help fund Brazil’s climate transition.<\/p>\n
Critics accuse him of a contradictory stance as he urges world leaders to step up in the fight against climate change ahead of COP30 talks in the Amazon city of Belem from November 10-21.<\/p>\n
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