Greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 12% in Brazil by 2023 November 09, 2024

© Ralf Vetterle/Pixabay

By Agência Brasil

Renato Ribeiro - National Radio Reporter

Greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 12% in Brazil by 2023.

This is the biggest reduction in the last 15 years.

That's 300 million tons less than in 2022.

The fall in deforestation in the Amazon was responsible for the decrease in climate pollution.

On the other hand, agriculture remains the country's biggest emitter.

The data comes from the Climate Observatory and was released on Thursday.

In 2023, the country emitted 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

Despite the fight against deforestation in the Amazon, emissions have accelerated in other biomes.

This is explained by Bárbara Zimbres, a researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute:

“Historically, the Amazon dominates the pattern, and last year it continued to do so, with 65% of gross emissions, followed by the Cerrado, with 20%, and the Atlantic Forest, with 7%. We saw a big drop of 36% in gross emissions from the Amazon and, on the other hand, an increase in gross emissions from deforestation in other biomes. Mainly in the Cerrado, with a 24% increase, and in the Pantanal, with a significant 86% increase in emissions.”

Other sectors of the economy also registered an increase in emissions in 2023, such as agriculture, with 28% of the total, as well as transportation, energy, waste and industry.

Brazil is currently the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.

Editing:

Sâmia Mendes- Marizete Cardoso

Greenhouse gases