![]() There’s a long way to go to meet Lula’s pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030.įalse-color view of total ozone over the Antarctic pole. Around 9,000 square kilometers of rainforest were destroyed in the period. Still, Brazil’s deforestation rate remained nearly twice that of its all-time low in 2012. Marcio Astrini, head of advocacy group Climate Observatory, described it as an “impressive result” that “seals Brazil’s return to the climate agenda.” Deforestation and land degradation is responsible for at least one-tenth of the world’s carbon pollution.ĭeforestation in Brazil fell by 22.3% in the 12 months through July, according to data from the national government, as President Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva started to make progress on his pledge to rein in the rampant forest destruction that occurred under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. When forests or trees are destroyed, they emit greenhouse gases. It acts a carbon sink that sucks in planet-heating pollution from the atmosphere. The Amazon is the world’s biggest rainforest and its protection is seen as vital to curbing climate change. Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty ImagesĪfter years of soaring deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, there was good progress this year in reducing forest destruction. “We got people to do things they haven’t done before,” US climate envoy John Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour after the summit, describing it as a “historic success.”ĭeforestation of the Amazon rainforest fell by 22.3% in the 12 months through July. Many experts warned of loopholes that could leave the door open to a continued expansion of fossil fuels.īut that a deal was struck at all on fossil fuels was widely welcomed seen as a breakthrough. How impactful this deal ultimately is will depend on what countries do next to implement it. While the agreement fell short of requiring the world to phase out coal, oil and gas - which more than 100 countries had supported - it did call on countries to “contribute” to a “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.” This marked the first time that all fossil fuels, the main drivers of the climate crisis, were targeted in a COP agreement.ĬOP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, who presided over the negotiations, called the agreement “historic,” adding that the deal represented “a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies.” Kamran Jebreili/APĪfter more than two weeks of fraught negotiations, the COP28 climate summit in Dubai concluded in December with nearly 200 countries making an unprecedented commitment to move away from fossil fuels. Hopes were raised that the country’s coal production will peak and come down soon, when China and the US in November announced they would resume cooperation on climate change, pledging a major ramp-up of renewable energy, specifically to replace fossil fuels.ĬOP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, from right, celebrating a new climate agreement in Dubai with the summit's CEO, Adnan Amin, and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. It can’t be ignored, however, that China also ramped up its coal production this year, turning to the fossil fuel as devastating heat waves increased energy demand for air conditioning and cooling, and as persistent drought in the country’s south impacted hydroelectric supplies, which are reliant on sufficient rainfall. A report published in June found that China’s solar capacity is now greater than the rest of the world’s nations combined, in a surge described by the report’s author, Global Energy Monitor, as “jaw-dropping.” The year 2023 is on track to see the biggest increase in renewable energy capacity to date, according to the International Energy Agency.Ĭhina, the world’s biggest climate polluter, has made lightning advances in renewables, with the country set to shatter its wind and solar target five years early. For more than six days straight, between October 31 to November 6, the nation of more than 10 million people relied solely on renewable energy sources - setting an exciting example for the rest of the world. On Halloween, Portugal started a record-breaking streak. Yuan Hongyan/VCG/Getty ImagesĪs the need to rapidly wean off planet-heating fossil fuels becomes increasingly urgent, there have been some clean energy bright spots around the world. A worker cleans solar panels at a new energy base in China, where solar capacity is now greater than in the rest of the world's countries combined.
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