Brazil and China occupy central positions in debates about the impacts of human actions on the climate and nature, and more studies are essential to allow a dialogue between these two emerging nations in the search for solutions. With the aim of disseminating research in this area, the Global Environmental Changes and Climate Change Forum was held on Monday (13), bringing together experts in the auditorium of the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (Nepam) at Unicamp.
At the opening of the event, physicist Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, scientific coordinator of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), gave a history of scientific discoveries about climate change since the 1768th century and the contributions Brazilians for this debate. Brito, who is also a professor at Unicamp, pointed to the work of Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Fourier (1830-XNUMX) as the first to show the role of atmospheric gases in increasing the Earth's temperature.
Based on studies carried out throughout the 1820th and 1893th centuries by scientists such as the Irishman John Tyndall (1859-1927), the Swedish Svante Arrhenius (1928-2005) and the North American Charles Keeling (XNUMX-XNUMX), humanity was able to understand the consequences of human actions for the rise in global temperatures in recent decades, highlighted Brito. According to him, the biggest difficulty facing the international community today is defining how to distribute responsibility for these impacts between countries and productive sectors.
During the Forum, the results of research coordinated by professor Leila da Costa Ferreira, from Nepam, were presented, which resulted in the publication of the book "The Challenge of Climate Change: The cases of Brazil and China". According to the teacher, organizer of the event, the environmental problem is broad, permeates different fields of knowledge and transcends the national perspective.
Ferreira warns that Brazil, since 2012, has been experiencing "a major setback in relation to decarbonizing forces", motivated by the country's economic, social and ethical crises. On the other hand, China, a "terrible emitter" of greenhouse gases, is one of the countries that invests the most scientifically in research and actions to reduce emissions, having the largest solar and wind farms in the world. According to her, the energy field is fundamental to understanding the changes and there is a lot of interest in these countries.
China has adopted different climate policies externally and internally. At home, it implements increasingly innovative strategies, but, in relation to international actions, it positions itself as a developing country, observed researcher Helena Margarido Moreira, professor at Anhembi Morumbi University. According to her, however, in recent years the country has become a global actor. With the new North American government, which, among other things, denies global warming, the Chinese can assume an increasingly leading role, argues Moreira.
For social scientist Fabiana Barbi, a postdoctoral fellow at Nepam, the profile of Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions has transformed over the last 25 years. Despite there being more intense participation from the agricultural and energy sectors, changes in land use, mainly deforestation, continue to have a more significant impact. China maintains the energy sector as the largest emitter, but has managed to reduce the level of growth of these emissions. The researcher highlights that a difference between the two countries is the involvement of the population in these issues, which is lower in Brazil.
The megacities São Paulo and Beijing are the focus of study for researcher Alberto Urbinatti, a doctoral candidate in Public Health at the University of São Paulo (USP). "The problem is more complicated than we imagine, and that is why there is an urgency for public policies." For him, a lot of science and agreements made in everyday life in cities can be taken to other spheres. Urbinatti highlighted that São Paulo created more municipal parks as a way to reduce flooding, was a pioneer and influenced government and international negotiation tables.
Relying on state support through financing from public banks, China is the largest investor in renewable energy, a sector with high added value, promoting the industry and using the domestic market as a lever to remain competitive in the international market. Social scientist Luiz Enrique de Souza explains that, before Michel Temer's government, market strategies for the development of renewable energy in Brazil and China were similar, but that the exploration of the pre-salt will impact the emission of greenhouse gases. greenhouse effect.
Professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes) Marcelo Fetz brought to the debate the different points of view on the climate of the Brazilian and Chinese people. According to him, the stock of Chinese climate knowledge is much larger and more varied, built not only on scientific but also cultural background. The Brazilian is focused on the future, more "technological" and more "catastrophic". Fetz, who has a PhD in Sociology from Unicamp, argues that the objective is to create a consensus between these different views. "Dialogue is extremely necessary. The political dimension is as important as the scientific dimension in dealing with the climate."
The Global Environmental Changes and Climate Change Forum was held by the Strategic Thinking Forum (Penses), with the support of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) at Unicamp. Penses is an academic space, linked to the Rector's Office, responsible for promoting discussions that contribute to the formulation of public policies aimed at the development of society in all its aspects.
