The prospect of entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, with its potential for mobilizing resources of the order of many billions of dollars a year, a portion of which may be directed to the Clean Development Mechanism, has indicated the importance of establishing a formal mechanism in the Government to aim such a potential at national development priorities.

Additionally, there is the need to intensify the actions that are already being taken by the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the Ministries of External Relations, of Mines and Energy, and of Environment, regarding compliance with the commitments in force for Brazil, as accepted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Considering the growing relevance of the issue in the international relations scenario, as well as the complexity and multifaceted aspect of climate-related matters, this issue requires the convergence of actions by several sectorial governmental bodies.

As there was not a specific body within the structure of the Federal Public Administration to coordinate and integrate the appropriate actions for the implementation of the necessary measures, the creation of an Interministerial Commission on Global Climate Change was proposed. Thus, with such an objective, on July 7, 1999, the President of the Republic, exercising the power conferred upon him by art. 84, item II, of the Constitution, published a decree creating the Interministerial Commission on Global Climate Change.

 Since the Ministry of Science and Technology had already been developing the national activities towards compliance with the initial Brazilian commitment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, it took over the presidency and the functions of Executive Secretariat of the Commission, as the scientific aspects of global climate change will continue to predominate in the political negotiations in the future and the scientific knowledge needed to subsidize the discussions may be made available by means of existing foment instruments of such a ministry. Because of the horizontal character of the scientific activity – which includes all the activity sectors involved in the climate change issue – the Ministry of Science and Technology may also conciliate different sectorial interests.

The greenhouse gas emissions originating from human activities include, under the Convention, the energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste management sectors, and that is the reason why the Commission is integrated by the Ministries of Mines and Energy, of Transports, of Development, Industry and Commerce, of Agriculture and Supply, and of Environment (in charge of the vice-presidency of the Commission), which are responsible for such areas. The former Extraordinary Ministry of Special Projects (partially incorporated into the Ministry of Science of Technology) and the Ministry of Budgeting and Management, as well as the Civil Office of the Presidency of the Republic, have also been included taking into account their competence with regard to the long-term view of Brazil, as well as the Ministry of External Relations, because of the international negotiations that will continue to take place.

In addition, the Decree establishes that the Commission may request the collaboration of other public or private bodies and representative entities of the civil society in the fulfillment of its attributions. The attributions of the Commission include: 

a) provide a statement, whenever requested, on proposals for sectorial policies, legal instruments and norms that contain a relevant component for the mitigation of global climate change and the country’s adaptation to its impacts;

b) provide inputs on the Government’s positions in the negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and subsidiary instruments of which Brazil takes part;

c) define eligibility criteria additional to those considered by the Bodies of the Convention in charge of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), as provided for in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, pursuant to national sustainable development strategies;

d) analyze statements on projects that result in emission reduction and that are considered eligible to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and approve them, when appropriate;

e) establish agreements with representative entities of the civil society, in order to promote actions by the governmental and private bodies with a view of meeting the commitments accepted by Brazil under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and subsidiary instruments of which Brazil is part;

 The Interministerial Commission thus represents an effort towards articulating governmental actions related to global climate change.