Minas will represent the country at the US Climate Action Summit 2023

On Wednesday (19), the Government of Minas Gerais will participate in the US Climate Action Summit 2023, in Washington, United States. The purpose of this event is to bring together world leaders from various fields to discuss issues related to climate action.

This is the first time that Brazil will participate in the summit and Minas Gerais will be the only state representing the country, in the presence of the Deputy Governor of Minas Gerais, Professor Mateus, and the Minister of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CIMAD), Marilia Melo.

The event is being promoted by The Climate Group, an international non-profit organization founded in 2003. In 2020, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, called on the Climate Group to support the Climate Leaders Summit, which is why the Foundation began selecting and organizing a series of topic related events.

The goal of the US Climate Action Summit is to create a platform that leads to measurable results in climate policy and business, with participants at the center of the agenda. The meeting focuses on the discussion on sustainable development and the promotion of green investments in the United States, with the target audience of the meeting being American investors and entrepreneurs. However, some developing countries were selected to participate in the summit.

The participation of the State of Minas Gerais was ensured through coordination between the State Foundation for the Environment (FEM) and the Climate Group. Through its presence in this event, the country will seek to qualify the initiatives of the State System for Environment and Water Resources (Sisema) in facing the challenges posed by the climate crisis, as well as identifying strategies capable of improving the adoption of renewable energy sources and low-carbon mining technologies.

In addition to discussions and WorkshopsAmong the activities of the US Climate Action Summit 2023, a round table will bring together a diverse group of experts from the US, Canada, Mexico and Brazil to discuss the use of green finance as a tool to combat climate change. Participants will share experiences about the initiatives and how they have been used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

environment in Minas

The state government has a series of projects and actions underway or scheduled to address climate change and ensure sustainability.

“This is a global challenge on which Minas is working systematically to achieve good results locally, in the quest to increase the adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable people and regions and to ensure a sustainable, low-carbon, inclusive and climate-resilient development path.”, says the Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Marilia Melo.

In December 2022, Vim introduced the state’s Climate Action Plan (Plac), which will drive low-carbon development and the state’s energy transition.

Prepared with international support and the active participation of civil society, the productive sector and universities, Plac has 29 activities, divided into 103 sub-actions and about 300 targets with specific deadlines in various strategic sectors, both for decarbonization and energy transition, as well as with regard to climate adaptation.

Reduction of deforestation, continuous restoration of forests until 2050, and promotion of low-carbon agriculture, among others, are among the strategies outlined to achieve the goals set by the plan.

The preliminary version of the Plan of Minas Gerais for the Control of Atmospheric Emissions (PCEA) is also under preliminary discussion with the municipalities of Minas Gerais, which must define the main sources of emissions and related atmospheric pollutants, the geographical coverage and areas to be prioritized, guidelines and actions with objectives and goals and deadlines for implementation.

Currently, Bill No. 3966/2022, which will establish state policy to combat climate change, is being discussed in the Minas Gerais State Legislative Assembly (ALMG).

Race to zero

In 2021, Minas Gerais became the first state in Latin America to join the Race to Zero campaign, a global initiative led by the United Kingdom that aims to neutralize the planet’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The coalition aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the planet . The temperature will rise by 1.5 degrees over the next 30 years. The goal will be achieved by intensifying decarbonization measures, attracting investments in sustainable businesses and creating green jobs.

Among the planned regional actions within the Race to Zero is the updating of the list of greenhouse gas emissions and removals, which aims to identify the main sources of emissions, trends and elements to support effective public policies to mitigate emissions in Minas Gerais.

Another initiative aimed at achieving the goal set with Race To Zero was the creation of the Minas Gerais Forum on Energy and Climate Change (Femc), through State Decree 48.292 / 2021. The overall goal of the group is to promote discussion, within the scope of the state, about the global phenomena of climate change and transformation energy.

In addition, the Minas government is developing measures to attract investment in the renewable energy sector, as it is currently the second state in Brazil in photovoltaic power generation. The state has a distributed solar generation (GD) capacity of 2,434 gigawatts (GW), second only to São Paulo, with 2,437 GW. With this capacity, Minas avoids emitting 394,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Mines and the USA

Cooperation between the United States and Minas Gerais covers several areas, from health to science and technology. Sending mining expeditions to the North American country is a very important guide in this process. In 2019, Governor Romeo Zema fulfilled the agendas in the United States to attract investments to the state with the aim of providing jobs and income to the residents of Minas Gerais.

The following year, the governor, along with then-United States Ambassador to Brazil, Todd C. Chapman, met in an audience to discuss existing cooperation projects, as well as a disaster infrastructure donation made by the United States.

Minas 2032 movement

Concept of Sustainable Economy Dialogues with the Movimento Minas 2032 (MM2032) Goals – for Global Transformation – led by DIÁRIO DO COMÉRCIO, in partnership with the Instituto Orior. The purpose of the group is to propose a discussion on a permanent and inclusive production model, capable of being sustainable, and the establishment of an equally responsible consumption pattern.

To achieve the ambitious goals, MM2032 is organized in a pragmatic manner, with the Board of Directors, formed by the presidents and CEOs of the participating companies and entities; Organizing Committee, formed by DIÁRIO DO COMÉRCIO and the Instituto Orior; and the Executive Committee, with representatives from all participants: government, academia, corporations and agencies.

The overall orientation is the relevance of the SDGs in Minas, and the expression of similar initiatives with Brazil and the world. Started in 2017, the movement is creating a development community for the joint construction of effective ideas and actions to promote the consolidation of the SDGs in Minas Gerais.