Brazil calls for approval of global climate adaptation indicators
Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, declared that the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) must end with the approval of global adaptation indicators. The statement was part of the opening speech of the high-level segment of ministers on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 18) in Belém.
Adaptation indicators are the rules and metrics that will guide countries around the world in preparing their cities and natural areas to cope with the impacts of climate change. For example, they include creating more green areas in cities to make the soil more permeable and reduce the damage caused by floods and flash floods.
“Adaptation needs to be at the center of the global response: protecting people and land and sea territories depends on concrete instruments to measure progress, guide policies, and reduce vulnerabilities,” Silva said.
The minister recalled that science warns that, in order to keep global warming at 1.5°C, it is necessary to implement the national targets presented by countries (NDCs). “We need swift action, enhanced ambition, and accelerated implementation,” she added.
The minister also reinforced President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s statement on the construction of “roadmaps” to fairly and systematically reverse deforestation and progressively overcome dependence on fossil fuels, mobilizing the necessary resources. Roadmaps are a kind of script for gradual transitions.
According to Marina Silva, there are no universal answers to the climate challenge.
“Structured dialogue, the exchange of experiences, and long-term strategies are necessary, taking into account both fossil-fuel-producing and fossil-fuel-consuming countries,” she noted.
Once again, the minister stressed that richer countries should lead by acting more quickly, as they bear greater historical responsibility for climate impacts and have greater financial capacity. At the same time, she did not exempt developing countries from committing to create means of implementation consistent with reducing inequalities.
“This is the essence of a just transition: protecting people, strengthening resilience, and guiding decisions based on science - both modern science and the knowledge of indigenous peoples,” Silva stated.
