STATEMENT: Project Launches to Measure and Manage GHG Emissions for Agriculture in Brazil

Sugar cane harvest; Sao Paolo, Brazil (credit: Mariordo Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz/Wikimedia)

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the British Embassy are launching a two year partnership to measure corporate and farm-level emissions in Brazil. Agricultural emissions account for nearly 20 percent of Brazil’s emissions, with agricultural production on the rise. The project, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, will develop GHG Accounting Guidance for Brazilian Agriculture, filling an important gap, since Brazil does not presently have a methodology for corporate and farm-level accounting, reporting, and monitoring. This project will support Brazil in meeting its targets set in the National Plan on Climate Change, including measuring agricultural emissions, both up and down the value chain, and from land use.

“It is an honor to announce the launch of a new project that marks the continuation of a fruitful partnership between the World Resources Institute, the UK government, and Brazil, which has been contributing to measuring, reporting and managing Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions,” said British Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton. “The UK Government is glad to have contributed to this initiative, which is part of an effort to establish a low-carbon economy worldwide.”

The announcement was made during an event at Rio+20 on the Green Economy: Driving Business Value and Competitiveness, hosted by WRI, which will bring together business experts, national policy makers, and global policy specialists to discuss strategic opportunities in the green economy, including tools for companies and policymakers to measure and manage their emissions impact.

Currently, more than 90 Brazilian companies voluntarily report their corporate emissions through the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, created by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), WRI, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Brazilian Corporate Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). During 2010 and 2011, WRI and FGV conducted a series of scoping workshops with participating Brazilian companies to better understand the need for agriculture-specific guidance.

“Brazil is one of the most important countries when it comes to sustainable development, with agriculture playing a major role in its economy as well as its emissions,” said Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI. “By measuring and controlling their emissions, Brazilian companies can help lower their environmental impact, while identifying new opportunities for economic growth and cost savings.”

The event will feature a keynote address by Carlos Klink, National Secretary on Climate Change and Environmental Quality, Ministry of the Environment, Brazil.

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in helping Brazil to meet its emissions goals,” said Secretary Klink. “Agriculture forms the backbone of our economy, and we will continue to work with Brazilian businesses to move toward healthy, robust and sustainable future.”

The objectives of the agricultural guidance project are to:

• Establish nationally-recognized methodologies for the measurement and management of agricultural GHG emissions at the farm- and corporate-level;

• Build capacity among Brazilian businesses and provide methodologies to develop emissions reduction strategies for agriculture; and

• Integrate methodologies for agriculture into the GHG Protocol Brazil Program and emerging mandatory (e.g., Amapá, Pará, Pernambuco, and Mato Grosso) and voluntary (e.g., Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná) GHG emissions registries and reporting programs.

Over the next year, GHG Protocol experts will work closely with Brazilian businesses to adapt international guidance to address Brazil-specific emissions issues.

Companies interested in conducting a GHG inventory and developing and pilot testing the agricultural guidance are invited to contact GHG Protocol’s Stephen Russell: srussell@wri.org.