Brazil approves national roadmap to halt deforestation by 2030

The Brazilian government approved a national roadmap to stop and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. Shortly after, officials established guidelines to create a second roadmap focused on gradually reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels.

The Interministerial Committee on Climate Change approved the forest roadmap in Brasília. This move aims to help Brazil meet its climate goal of reducing emissions by 59% to 67% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels.

The government reported that deforestation rates dropped significantly between 2022 and 2026, with a 71.2% decrease in the Legal Amazon and a 48.4% decrease in the Cerrado. Other regions also saw declines, including the Pantanal and the Mata Atlântica. The National Council for Energy Policy separately approved 18 guidelines to build a roadmap for phasing out oil, gas, and coal. This process follows a directive from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The council aims to balance climate goals with energy security, economic impacts, and employment. A new interministerial working group will have 270 days to complete this plan, which will include public consultations and may explore the creation of an Energy Transition Fund. While Brazil has made progress in forest conservation, it faces a funding gap.

The country estimates a need for over US$ 300 billion annually by 2030 for forest protection, while global funding reached only about US$ 84.5 billion in 2023. To address this, Brazil launched the Forever Tropical Forests Fund. So far, seven countries and two private investors have pledged approximately US$ 7.3 billion toward the fund, which has a target of US$ 10 billion by the end of 2026.