Brazil’s CO2 Emission Cuts Signed Into Law

After the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference, it was apparent that a number of countries had made pledges that needed backing up at home in the form of laws.  The U.S. is one such example.  Our House of Representatives passed a climate and energy bill back in June.  Similar legislation has yet to come up for any votes at all in the Senate.

On the flip side of the coin, Brazil is an example of a country that made a pledge and now can point to a law backing up that pledge.  The law requires CO2 emissions to be reduced by 39% by 2020.  I haven’t found the baseline year they’re measuring against – i.e. 2005 emissions or 1990 emissions.  The 1990 emissions would obviously be more restrictive, so my initial gut feeling is they’re using their 2005 emissions as a benchmark.

To be fair, Brazil isn’t the textbook case of a country which has always done things in an environmentally conscious way.  But they are closer to action than we are.

2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit News 12/11/09: 1st Draft Issued & Wingnuts on Parade

The first official draft on a climate deal has been written and issued.  The expectation is the details won’t be worked out for another 6 months or so, which was what a lot of people were thinking going into this Summit.  Keep in mind that George Bush’s crew did everything they could for 8 years to make sure the climate crisis was worse when they left than when they took power.  President Obama’s administration has had only 10 months so far to undo those 8 years of damage.  That little fact will be very handy when the Cons start screaming that the Summit and the U.S. President are failures.  Gotta love those patriots!  Back to the draft:

A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came up with a six-page text Friday. The draft may form the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. However, most figures in the text are shown in brackets – meaning that there is not yet agreement on these specifics. Most importantly, the draft states that emissions should be halved worldwide by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, but it also suggests 80 percent and 95 percent reductions by that year as possible alternative options.

Those two emphasized statements are at the root of a lot of disagreement between parties, as I cover below.