Brazil to nail down greenhouse emission commitment for Copenhagen

BRASILIA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Brazil is considering proposals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a position that will be nailed down by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday for the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen.

The main proposal is to reduce 40 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions up to 2020, based mainly on the reduction of deforestation.

Environmental organizations, civil societies and businessmen have been pressing the Brazilian government for a more ambitious proposal to Copenhagen.

The Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change have submitted three separate proposals on reduction commitment, but a meeting in mid-October ended without any agreement on that.

Brazil has promised to reduce 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest by 2020 as a contribution to global efforts.

However, government departments remained divided on the target. The Ministry of Environment supports 40 percent reduction in emissions up to 2020, while the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of External Relations have reservations about more daring commitments.

The Copenhagen summit is aimed at reaching a consensus on a new global agreement to complement the Kyoto Protocol after 2012. The Kyoto Protocol has set binding targets for industrialized nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions before 2012.