REPORT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Brazil's President introduced national legislation that will guide efforts to reduce projected emissions by 36.1 to 38.9 percent by 2020. This legislation comes on the heels of the COP-15 climate change conference held in Copenhagen earlier this month, and demonstrates Brazil's eagerness to make significant and immediate progress against global climate change.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced the national climate change legislation to reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions by 36.1 to 38.9 percent by 2020. Roughly half the reduction would come from slowing Amazon deforestation, which accounts for more than sixty percent of Brazil's CO2 emissions. The rest would come from improved energy efficiency in construction, farming, and industry. Brazil will also continue to rely heavily on sugar cane ethanol, which has been shown to have the best energy balance relative to other biofiels that are presently produced at scale.