The cost for combating climate change would be shared according to the effective responsibility of each country

JOSÉ ISRAEL VARGAS

Specific international instruments have been created to face up to the challenge posed by global environmental problems, among which is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The climate change the Convention refers to is the global warming resulting from the enhancement of the greenhouse effect, caused by the emission of certain gases at a higher rate than that of their natural removal from the atmosphere.

An increase of about 3°C in the Earth's mean surface temperature is predicted for the year 2100. The problem is serious and its solution is not within the reach of emergency measures, especially because greenhouse gas emissions are fundamentally related to human actions: they result, for example, from fossil fuel production and use, industrial activities and land use change.
It is not possible to eliminate them completely, since this would mean brusquely altering needs of modern life. Once impossible, it is not either the only option, fortunately. All that is necessary is keeping emissions within limits that enable the natural mechanisms of the atmosphere to counterbalance them.

The gases in the atmosphere today, such as CO2, CH4 and N2O, result from emissions accumulated over 150 years. Similarly, the effects of current emissions will only be felt after several decades, being reflected in terms of sea level rise and temperature increase only at the end of the next century.

The Climate Convention - signed during the Rio Conference - has established as a common objective the stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at safe levels, based on the 1990 emissions of countries. Its key aspect is to decide which emission levels are to be tolerated in the near future and then, to define the sharing of the burden among countries in order to achieve the necessary reductions.

Discussions right now focus on the so-called Kyoto Protocol, which will be negotiated in the Third Conference of the Parties, in December, in the Japanese city of Kyoto. The document will establish quantitative emission reduction targets for developed countries for 2005, 2010 and 2020 and the actions to achieve them.

The negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol must meet principles established by the Climate Convention. One of which is the acknowledgement that the effects of emissions last for a long period. Therefore, the current situation is greatly due to current and past emissions from industrialized countries.

That is why this group of countries should take the lead in the implementation of measures to reduce their emissions. For Brazil and other developing countries, the industrialization of which is comparatively recent and incomplete, further commitments are not established.

Developing countries should establish programs to address the issue, without having to define quantitative emission reduction targets. Their reduction programs will still depend on the availability of appropriate financial and technological resources from industrialized countries.

Brazil has sought to cooperate with the correct formulation and solution of problems, so as to harmonize social and economic development needs with factors responsible for global environmental problems in a fair way for both developed and developing countries. The country has thus prepared proposals for the Kyoto Protocol and put them forward for negotiation.

The Brazilian proposal, prepared by the Ministry of Science and Technology, quantifies in a practical way the sharing of the burden for combating climate change, according to the effective responsibility of each country - assessed based on their contribution to the increase in the earth's mean surface temperature and not only on their current emissions.

The Brazilian proposal also has a mechanism for the provision of financial resources to finance preventive actions in developing countries. It is a world fund raised from mandatory contributions of industrialized countries that do not comply with their targets. This clean development fund is based on the "polluter pays" principle.
We see it as a creative solution because it shares the burden for combating climate change in a fair way. This is crucial for developing countries, as their social and economic systems are generally less prepared to face up to changes.

Brazil is a small emitter of greenhouse gases, a fact that is due, among other things, to its hydroelectric potential and to the use of renewable fuels, particularly ethanol.

There is still a land use peculiarity that turns Brazil into the country that had the greatest relative emission decrease in the world. This fact is due to the vast forest area in the country and the reduction in the annual deforestation rate in Amazonia from more than 2 million hectares a year in the late 80's to 1.5 million hectares a year today.

However, as a responsible nation, we cannot overlook decisive measures being taken for the future of mankind. Last June, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso mentioned in a special session of the UN General Assembly that the "Spirit of Rio" was the most important outcome of the 1992 Rio Conference, which "gave birth to a new global partnership for the economic growth based on social justice and sustainable use of natural resources".
He reaffirmed the Brazilian disposition to "remain in the vanguard of the process that generated one of the most expressive moments of international understanding". This is exactly how Brazil is conducting its work on climate change.

José Israel Vargas, 69, is the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, former president of Unesco's Executive Council (1987- 89).