EU commissioner blasts Brazil climate pledge for not going far enough

(Reuters, 15 Apr 2021) EU urges Brazil to show a higher level of ambition in achieving its climate target of zero carbon emission by 2060.

The European Union's top environment official told Brazil on Wednesday that the South American country's updated climate pledge "sends a bad signal" by only committing to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2060.

Like most of the world, Brazil late last year submitted an updated commitment under the Paris Agreement on climate change, known as a nationally determined contribution (NDC). But the country largely maintained its previous targets while adding the net-zero-by-2060 pledge.

The EU and United States have vowed to eliminate net emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2050.

"The failure to increase ambition in the updated NDC submitted by Brazil in December 2020 is a missed opportunity and sends a bad signal," EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius told top Brazilian officials on Wednesday.

"The EU and the international community are expecting Brazil to show a much higher level of ambition," Sinkevičius said, adding that the pledge should be as close to 2050 as possible.

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Reuters, 15 Apr 2021: EU commissioner blasts Brazil climate pledge for not going far enough