Even if the 195 signatory countries of the Paris Agreement meet their carbon reduction targets, assumed in 2016 during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), the average temperature of the planet would increase to 2.8 degrees Celsius in relation to pre-industrial levels. The warning was made this Friday (19) by professor Paulo Artaxo, from the University of São Paulo (USP) and member of the team of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), during the Talanoa Dialogue, organized by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) this Friday (19), and which brought together more than 350 people at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio.
The data presented by Artaxo is almost double the 1.5 degree target advocated by the IPCC in a report released on the 8th. In his speech, he issued a warning and called for urgent measures and immediate changes to reverse the effects of a global temperature increase. Scientists point out that an average temperature above 1.5 degrees would have devastating effects on Brazil, with an increase of around 6 degrees in the Amazon region and a drop in rainfall in the Northeast region of around 90% by the end of the century.
“In the case of Brazil, INPE (National Institute for Space Research) has already analyzed the increase in temperature. The entire Northeast region of Brazil saw an increase of 2.5 degrees and a change in rainfall rates, with a drop of 60% in precipitation, which is quite significant,” said Paulo Artaxo, stating that the most viable path to reducing the impacts of the increase in global temperature is to completely reduce emissions by 2040. To this end, he advocated greater involvement from governments and companies.
“The private sector understands that we can go further. We can promote more significant progress, with zero net deforestation in Brazilian biomes, among other actions. We will need to work together with companies so that they include a risk analysis in their planning, and can effectively contribute to halting the advance of climate change. This results in increased resilience in the labor market,” said Ana Carolina Szklo, Director of Institutional Development at CEBDS. “To promote this transition, it is essential that we leave no one behind, with green and decent jobs. Dialogue has never been so important, so that we can exchange ideas and listen to each other,” she added.
During the Talanoa Dialogue, the entire audience had the opportunity to interact with speakers and send questions and comments on the topics. Responding to the risks of a new government opting to withdraw Brazil from the Paris Agreement, as has already happened in the United States, the Sustainability Manager of Santander, Carolina Learth, highlighted that this would mean giving up business opportunities. “We respect the intention of the votes, but we cannot go back on achievements already obtained. We have already taken a huge step in the fight against climate change.”
The Talanoa Dialogue was organized by CEBDS together with Talanoa Dialogue for Climate, co-realization of the Museum of Tomorrow under IDG management, and sponsorship of Bradesco, World Bank Group, Itau, Santander It is Shell, in addition to having the support of the media State. The ultimate goal of the event is to submit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) business and civil society contributions to the COP24 (Conference of the Parties) negotiations.
Access the presentations below:
Alice Amorim – ICS, Carolina Learth – Santander, Fabio Cirilo – Votorantim Cement, Glauco Paiva – Shell, Ilan Cuperstein – C40, Luisa Guimarães – SUNEW It is Paulo Artaxo – IPCC.
