Brasilia, Nov. 3, 2025 (Lusa) — Gross greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil fell by 16.7% in 2024 compared to 2023, representing the largest drop in 16 years, according to a report released on Monday by the Climate Observatory.
In 2024, Brazil released 2.145 billion tonnes of polluting gases into the atmosphere, compared to 2.576 billion in 2023, according to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation System (SEEG), a tool created by the Climate Observatory, the main civil society network dedicated to the climate agenda in the country.
The reduction is explained by the decline in deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, according to the Climate Observatory, a consortium of 119 environmental groups, including Greenpeace, WWF and Conservation International.
In 2024, the decrease in deforestation and burning in these two important biomes in the country led to a 32.5% reduction in emissions from land use change, the largest in history.
The largest drop in emissions was recorded in the Pantanal, the largest wetland in Latin America, with a 66% decrease, followed by the Cerrado, with a 41% improvement, and the Amazon, with 33%.
Despite the reduction, the devastation of Brazilian biomes remains the main factor that makes Brazil the fifth largest emitter of gases on the planet.
Even with this positive data, Brazil is not expected to meet its national climate target (NDC) for 2025, which is to limit net emissions to 1.32 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Estimates point to net emissions of 1.44 billion by the end of the year.
"Deforestation is decreasing, but all other sectors are increasing," said David Tsai, the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation System (SEEG) leader.
On the eve of the COP30 leaders' summit, which will begin next Thursday in the Amazonian city of Belém, the state-owned oil company Petrobras obtained an environmental licence to explore an area near the mouth of the Amazon, a decision that drew strong criticism from several non-governmental organisations.
According to the report, by promoting oil exploration, the Brazilian government is "undermining" the Paris Agreement, as the expansion of the fossil fuel industry is incompatible with stabilising global warming at 1.5 °C, as recommended by the climate treaty.
"We find ourselves in a situation where the government gives with one hand and takes away with the other when it comes to climate. On the one hand, it takes appropriate measures to protect forests and thereby reduce emissions. On the other hand, it reinforces its commitment to oil, which aggravates the climate crisis and threatens those same forests," said Cláudio Angelo, leader of international policies at the Climate Observatory, in a statement.
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