Energy as determinant of climate measures: the case of Brazil

Abstract

Since the 1980’s, concern with potencial climate changes as result of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions is growing. The creation of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 was a response to this concern while the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is the first cooperative global attempt to address this issue. Many countries signed the FCCC agreement that, among other items, requires OECD countries to reduce their GHG to the leves of 1990 by the year 2000 and to provide assistance for developing countries to enhance their ability to minimize GHG emissions as well. This report highlights the difficulties that Brazil is facing to archieve the ultimate goal of reducing GHG emissions. Our aim is to improve the understanding of the economic driving forces that are pushing GHG emissions up in the Brazilian energy sector despite government commitment to mitigate environmental impacts of energy supply and consumption. Our report reviews the long term trends of Brazilian energy supply and demand, and it estimates the related ghg emissions. The main driving forces of the energy sector (population growth and ubanization; industrialization and economic groth; energy policy; instiyutional arrangements and pricing) and the options for mitigating CO2, emissions are analysed.