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The prospect of the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and its potential for mobilizing resources in the order of several tens of billions of dollars per year, part of which could be used to the Mechanism for Clean Development, has demonstrated the importance of formalizing a mechanism in the Government to direct those resources to national development priorities.
Then there is the need to intensify the measures already undertaken by the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Environment concerning 'fulfillment of the commitments into force for Brazil, under the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change. Given the importance of this topic in the field of international relations, the complexity and multiple feature themes related to climate, the treatment of this subject calls for the joint actions of different government bodies.
The creation of an Interministerial Commission on Climate Change has been proposed, given that there was no specific organization in the structure of the Administration of the State to coordinate and articulate actions deemed appropriate for the setting implement the necessary measures.
Since the Ministry of Science and Technology already exercised national activities regarding the fulfilment of the initial appointment of Brazil Convention on the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, and that the scientific aspects of global climate change continue, in the foreseeable future, to dominate the political negotiations and that the scientific knowledge necessary to discussions can be provided by the Ministry, the presidency and the secretariat of the Commission allocated. Given the horizontality of scientific activity which affects all sectors bound by this regard, the Ministry of Science and Technology can reconcile the interests of different sectors.
The treatment of emissions greenhouse gases in human activities includes, as a result of the Convention, the sectors of energy, transport, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste treatment. For this reason, the Commission also includes the Ministries of Mines and Energy, Transport and Development, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Supply, as well as the Environment (which holds the vice-chairmanship of the Commission). The Extraordinary Ministry of Special Projects (integrated part of the Ministry of Science and Technology), the Department of Budget and Management as well as the Presidential Office are also included because of their competence in relation to the perception of Brazil in the long term, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a result of negotiations, which will continue to take place.
In addition, the decree allows the Commission to ask for the implementation of its mandate, the involvement of other public or private bodies and associations representing civil society.
The functions of the Commission are:
1.If required, its opinion on proposed sectoral policies, legal instruments and standards, which include important measures for the mitigation of climate change and adaptation of Brazil to its impacts;
2.Support the Government in the negotiations of the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change and in the instruments subsidiary which Brazil is a party;
3.Establish additional criteria for eligibility for those already considered by the organs of the Convention, in charge of the Mechanism for Clean Development (CDM), under Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on United Nations Climate Change, according to the national strategies for sustainable development.
4.Analyze opinions on the projects, the effects of which involve a reduction in emissions and which are liable to integrate Mechanism for Clean Development (MDP) and approve, as appropriate;
5.Linked with representative bodies of civil society in the direction of promoting the actions of governmental and private organizations following the commitments of Brazil faces the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change and subsidiary instruments which Brazil is a party .
The Interministerial Commission is thus an effort to articulate government actions regarding global climate change.
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