By Lucas Guaraldo*
The Brazil Climate Forest and Agriculture Coalition, a group of which IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) is a member, presented a list of 10 concrete measures for the global climate transition in the land use sector at New York Climate Week on Monday afternoon (22). On the eve of COP30, the set of proposals seeks to tackle emissions resulting from changes in land use, such as deforestation and forest degradation, which are responsible for up to 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions and most of Brazil’s emissions.
“If we are going to survive on this planet, we need tropical forests. To do this, we also have to create a movement to stop using fuels and incorporate forests into our agricultural production,” said André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM and special civil society envoy to COP30.
The measures are organized into three strategic axes:
- Sustainable management of forests, oceans and biodiversity, with a focus on monitoring and conserving biological diversity and areas of native vegetation;
- Transformation of agriculture and food systems, which proposes more sustainable and resilient agricultural practices;
- Catalysts and accelerators, which bring together strategies for international climate finance and for strengthening the bioeconomy in the long term.
Globally, greenhouse gas emissions are mainly associated with the energy sector. In the case of Brazil, according to data from SEEG (System of Estimates of Emissions and Removals of Greenhouse Gases), emissions are mainly linked to changes in land use, such as the removal of native vegetation, the opening up of pastures, degradation and agricultural expansion. In 2023, 46% of the 2.3 billion tons of CO₂ e emitted by the country came from this sector, while agriculture accounted for 27.5%.
“In this context, it is even more important to bridge the gap between needs and resources for climate finance. A conference held in Brazil, with a declared focus on action, is shaping up to be a turning point: the immediate implementation of the climate agenda, ten years after the signing of the Paris Agreement,” wrote the members of the Brazil Coalition in the document published on Monday.
The list of proposals also emphasizes that the implementation of practical and concrete measures is fundamental for the advancement of the climate agenda and for the success of COP30 in Belém. In this sense, the Coalition warns that the summit must deepen the debates started at previous conferences, but also highlight the reality of climate change in the Global South and indicate the necessary steps for mitigation and adaptation to the climate crisis.
Read the full proposals:
- Proposal 1: Boost investments to control and reverse deforestation and forest degradation:
-
-
- Expand investments, align public policies and mobilize international partnerships to reduce deforestation and recover forests, including mechanisms such as REDD+ and the TFFF (Tropical Forests Forever Fund).
-
- Proposal 2: Promote large-scale restoration of landscapes and forests:
-
-
- Include restoration in the NDCs, expand international funding for the activity and promote the monitoring and control of deforestation in areas of secondary vegetation.
-
- Proposal 3: Incorporate integrated actions to prevent and combat forest fires:
-
-
- Adopt real-time monitoring and early warning systems, carry out awareness campaigns for rural producers and intelligence operations against environmental organized crime.
-
- Proposal 4: Expand mechanisms for remuneration for ecosystem services (PES):
-
-
- Valuing and remunerating conservation and restoration efforts, encouraging private sector participation in PES programs and providing legal certainty for projects.
-
- Proposal 5 Strengthen traceability in production chains:
-
-
- Integrate robust traceability mechanisms into public policies and business practices, ensuring transparency and deforestation-free chains.
-
- Proposal 6: Recover degraded areas and expand low-carbon and regenerative farming systems:
-
-
- Integrate restoration into agricultural and land use policies; scale up agroforestry systems, management of planted forests and silviculture with native species; and spread regenerative techniques (no-till farming, crop rotation, ILPF, pasture management, bio-inputs).
-
- Proposal 7: Implement more resilient, adapted and sustainable food systems:
-
-
- Strengthen public policies for sociobiodiversity to small producers; reduce emissions in the field (including fertilizer management, soil conservation, agroecological systems); expand sustainable food markets; integrate food systems into large-scale climate finance; reduce waste and foster the circular economy on farms.
-
- Proposal 8: Define global standards for sustainable agricultural finance:
-
-
- Align clear and verifiable metrics (adjusted to tropical reality) to guide policies and credit; incorporate climate risks and opportunities into credit analysis; direct resources towards low-emission, resilient and nature-positive food systems.
-
- Proposal 9: Recognize the bioeconomy as a global strategy for sustainable development:
-
-
- Accelerate the promotion of the bioeconomy, including traditional investment instruments, innovative financial instruments, support policies and international cooperation; and align strategies for its inclusion with global climate and nature goals.
-
- Proposal 10: Allocate at least 50% of climate finance to adaptation:
-
- Comply with Article 9.4 of the Paris Agreement, rebalancing flows currently concentrated on mitigation; guarantee predictable resources for developing countries to strengthen resilience and protect productive and social systems in the face of the climate crisis.
IPAM journalist, lucas.itaborahy@ipam.org.br*