Meio Ambiente

Ministers of Environment and representatives of 24 countries reached an agreement on Saturday (10/31), in Barcelona, to create an international fund for adaptation to climate change through which developed countries will help developing ones in actions to mitigate global warming. Representatives of the major countries that will be on the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP-15), in December in Copenhagen (Denmark), attended the meeting.

The fund will be financed by developed countries, taking into account the principle of the Kyoto Protocol of differentiated responsibilities for rich and poor nations. So, it was agreed that developed countries will give money to the adaptation fund, and the developing ones will have to invest directly in actions to combat climate change in their own territory.

The Brazilian minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, was emphatic in arguing that one must take into account the historical emissions of each country. "The glaciers are melting because of emissions from the past 60 years, and not those of the past few years", said Minc.

The countries also reached consensus on the proposal that each nation must submit their actions to mitigate climate change. The idea is to make global actions to combat climate change transparent. "What matters is what countries are doing to reduce emissions, because that is what will save the planet", said the minister.

According to the minister Carlos Minc, the participants considered the Brazilian initiatives as the outstanding proposal of the meeting. "They recognized our goals as a strong example of confronting the issue of climate change. This places Brazil as a protagonist in the discussions on climate."

Among the Brazilian Government's actions against global warming, Minc highlighted the Climate Fund, the first in the world that will use resources from oil exploitation - responsible for much of global emissions - to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The fund was approved by the House of Representatives and now it will be voted by the Senate. Minc also said that deforestation of the Amazon is likely to be the lowest in 20 years.

The international community holds this week, in Barcelona, the last preparatory meeting for COP-15, which will be the final stage to sign a new global agreement on climate change, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol, that ends in 2012.