This text contained incorrect information and was updated on December 23rd and 24th
After leading the sustainable agenda in Brazil and the world, during the year marked by the Coronavirus pandemic, the business sector will begin 2021 with an eye on the Conference of the Parties (COP) on Biodiversity (COP15), in May, and Climate (COP26) in November. It will be a year of great expectation regarding the beginning of the implementation of national goals and how to advance the Paris Agreement after its initial five years. Many of the tasks ahead require the active participation of the business sector and governments, whether at the negotiating table or in the design of standards aimed at a green recovery of the economy.
This is the assessment of the CEBDS technical team, which projected the main challenges ahead in the climate, energy, water, food, biodiversity, and people agendas. This is a short- to medium-term vision, as we prepare the final details for the launch of the (Re)Vision 2050, an exercise in reinventing capitalism toward a care economy. It's a model that envisions greater partnership between the public and private sectors; a circular and regenerative economy; and a greater focus on people and diversity in the workplace, including in corporate leadership.
In the first half of the year, CEBDS will contribute to supporting compliance with the Paris Agreement. We will launch a proposal for Regulatory Framework for the Carbon Market in Brazil, something that will represent a competitive advantage in achieving climate goals within market mechanisms that will be discussed in Glasgow and also an incentive for maintaining and restoring biomes and combating illegal deforestation and fires.
The goals of the Paris Agreement will be present throughout the entire decade of implementation, emphasize Karen Tanaka, Technical Manager for Climate Change at CEBDS, and Technical Analyst Elissa Tokusato. Countries will have to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). "This is the final decade of action for the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and crucial for the start of the deadline for meeting the established NDC targets from 2020 to 2025, within the Paris Agreement," they state.
The business world will continue to price climate change-related risks throughout 2021 and require companies to declare these liabilities on their balance sheets. It should also be a year of increased investment in sustainable and regenerative projects, following the stance taken by major Brazilian banks against deforestation in the Amazon and their support for the distribution of emergency aid during the pandemic.
More responsibility
According to the CEBDS technical team, companies' responsibilities will become increasingly broader. "The business sector must lead a behavioral shift toward more responsible use of water resources," notes Juliana Lopes, a Water and Biodiversity consultant. At the same time, it is up to the government to define clear standards and guidelines for bidding processes for services covered by the Sanitation Framework, aimed at promoting water security.
Business engagement in the 2021 multilateral meetings can help in the transition to greater well-being. In 2021, the first global United Nations forum on Food Systems, the UN Food System Summit, will take place. "The active participation of the Brazilian government, the scientific community, and companies in negotiations, commitments, and investment attraction is imperative to ensure healthy, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems," emphasizes technical analyst Nina Von Lachmann.
Five years after the Paris Agreement, we have ten years ahead of us to achieve the SDGs and transform the global economy. This is the ambition of the Brazilian private sector. 2021 will be a year of hard work and negotiation to lay the foundations for the economic recovery we advocate.
