Brazil to play vital role at COP21

Brazil’s role at the COP21 United Nations climate summit in Paris will be crucial in reaching a strong global deal to limit carbon emissions and prevent dangerous global warming, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday.

The UN Climate Change Conference is being hosted by France and will run from 30 November to 11 December, bringing together nearly 200 UN member states with the aim of reaching a historic agreement.

So far, 173 states have submitted climate plans, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), outlining targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Fabius met with President Dilma Rousseff, his counterpart Mauro Vieira and Brazil's Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira in Brasilia on Sunday as part of a three-day world tour to boost political momentum and support for a new deal.

Fabius has also visited India, the fourth largest emitter of GHGs, and G77 leader South Africa as part of his tour with emerging nations expected to play a crucial role in the signing of an effective international climate agreement.

Fabius said: "Brazil has made very ambitious and exemplary commitments, and that lends to its credibility as a historic partner in the negotiations on climate since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro… I am really counting on Brazil's drive to succeed in this area - and on its strong reputation - to help convince others. That was really the main reason for my visit."

Brazil has pledged to cut GHG emissions by 37 per cent by 2025, and 43 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

Brazil also has promised to end illegal logging in the Amazon basin region - one of the world's vital rainforest areas.

With the summit fast approaching Fabius said: "It must be a success…There is no Plan B, because there is no Planet B…Paris must be a turning point."