COP26: The British ambassador says Brazil is ‘beyond ambition’

Some embassies in Brazil, like the United Kingdom, are dedicated to green economy and environmental protection. Head of the British Representative since January, Ambassador Peter Wilson He has already visited more than a dozen Brazilian cities and argued for stability among regional political leaders or large corporations. With the approach of the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, the diplomat further intensified his efforts. Recently, he invited the event’s senior British politician Alok Sharma to learn about Brazilian identities and to press the government of Jair Bolsanaro for bold steps to prevent deforestation. In a telephone interview with the Embassy in Brasilia, Wilson spoke with VEJA about Brazil’s challenge to achieve its environmental goals.

Is our country on a dangerous path in the environment? Brazil is an important voice on the world stage, and everyone is paying close attention to the consistency of the title and, as a result, what is happening here. More responsibility whether you like it or not. Despite the expansion of the Amazon, the forest can become a biological one and there is no doubt that it needs to be protected. Vice President Hamilton Mauro, on a trip together with us to Bara in September, agreed that much more needs to be done to end deforestation in the region. Despite the challenge, I understand that this should be a major concern, and we monitor deforestation data very carefully.

Do you believe Brazil can achieve its goal of ending illegal deforestation by 2030? The promises made by President Jair Bolzano at the US-organized climate conference are significant. But now the focus has changed: one has to invest in the effort to implement beyond the goal. There are government moves to do this, and the recent commitment to allocate additional evidence for the study is an indication that the issue has risen to a national priority level. If Brazil can grow in its environmental protection policies, as it has grown in other areas, such as sustainable agriculture and alternative energy production, it will be closer to its goal.

Since you came to Brazil, you have met with governors, businessmen and third-party companies to discuss sustainability plans. Will negotiations with these leaders be more fruitful than the federal government? It will no longer be effective, but it is necessary in any federal system. It is necessary to discuss with those who control the economy and various parts of the territory of Brazil, so that now banks and large foreign companies need to understand the environmental risks of a business more subtly than it was five years ago and how to change it and maintain investments in the future and protect the markets. We want governors, mayors and entrepreneurs to work with the federal government to achieve a carbon-free economy by 2050.

Are there any specific conditions that Brazil will accept during COP26? We would like to present to the Brazilian delegation the comprehensive plans for the implementation of the goals of ending the illegal deforestation and neutral economy announced earlier this year. The conference is a great opportunity to renew the voluntary obligations established by the signatories of the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions until last year. Ambitious goals are important to indicate a desire for change and to encourage other countries to follow the same path.

“We would like to present comprehensive plans in COP26 against the illegal deforestation announced in Brazil 2021”

Does the UK have additional responsibilities for hosting the event? No doubt. We are working twice as hard to achieve our own goals, including eliminating petrol and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030 and creating zero net emission savings by 2050. We invest heavily in wind power, which is already 30% of our matrix. And in incentives for industry. Thanks to sophisticated technology, the British Green Economy is creating seven new jobs for each layoff in the traditional market. In addition, any citizen who is willing to spend less energy on heating or thermal insulation of their home receives a government subsidy. We hope that all countries can achieve such positive results, and we will do this in COP.

In addition to the transition to a more stable economy, the British government faces the challenges posed by Brexit. Did people regret their decision? No, we all know that there will be a difficult transition period after leaving the European Union (EU). It is true that supermarkets are going through periods of scarcity and that many immigrants living in the UK have returned to their homeland, but this situation was also caused by the Govt-19 epidemic. I hope all of this will go away once all the necessary changes are made. The first positive changes are already beginning to appear. We are very open to other parts of the world and are ready to negotiate further with Brazil.