This Tuesday (27), the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) debated Brazil's environmental commitments during the Ethanol Summit – one of the main events in the world focused on renewable energy, particularly those produced from sugarcane, such as ethanol and bioelectricity – promoted by the Sugarcane Industry Union (UNICA) in São Paulo.
The president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi, participated in the panel “NDC and Brazil's environmental commitments” and defended the centrality of expanding the use of biofuels in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“Our country has a great opportunity to become the main player global biofuels market. The conditions are extremely favorable”, he highlighted. “CEBDS is representative of the below50 in South America and we are joining forces to expand its operations in the country, supporting fundamental initiatives such as RenovaBio”, he concluded.
Marcelo Furtado, from Coalition Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture, highlighted the importance of advancing the RenovaBio Program. “This program builds a long-term agenda, essential for sector planning and investor security,” he stated.
According to the study Opportunities and Challenges of the Brazilian NDC for the Business Sector, launched by CEBDS in partnership with the We Mean Business, the expansion of the use of biofuels constitutes the main opportunity for the country to reduce emissions in the transport sector in the short term. Due to its conditions, both in terms of climate and soil, as well as technological excellence and historical experience, the country must be the natural global leader in this field and drive this market competitively. It is estimated that first generation ethanol production will increase from 29 billion liters in 2014 to 51 billion liters in 2030.
Another opportunity to be taken advantage of by the country is the concession of railways. This mode considerably reduces greenhouse gas emissions, opening the way for the decarbonization of the economy. The impact of switching fuels is also significant. A vehicle emits around 262g CO2 per kilometer driven if powered by diesel and 172g CO2 if it's gasoline. If the vehicle is a hybrid, emissions drop to 66g CO2 – a reduction of 75% and 62%, respectively.
Thathyanne Gasparotto, from the Climate Bonds Initiative, highlighted the opportunities that Brazil gains from implementing sustainable finance mechanisms. “China is clearly leading the market green bonds, but Brazil has a portfolio of natural assets that is incomparable to any other country. We have always worked with CEBDS and realized that the private sector is moving towards low-carbon solutions. The green bond market will be a fundamental resource for implementing the Brazilian NDC”, he concluded.
The panel was made up of the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi; by the director of the Climate Change Policies department of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), José Miguez; by the director of Agroícone, André Nassar; by the coordinator of the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition, Marcelo Furtado; by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) Program Manager, Thatyanne Gasparotto; and by the president of the Brazilian Rural Society (SRB), Marcelo Vieira.
