VP: Brazil to seek zero deforestation by 2028, up from 2030

By DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourão has said that the government will accelerate its timeline by two to three years to completely eliminate illegal deforestation by 2027 or 2028. The existing 2030 goal already represented a nod to U.S. President Joe Biden, who had called out Brazil’s environmental track record on the campaign trail last year. Asked about disputes over the double counting of carbon credits — in both the nation offsetting emissions and the nation buying the offsets — Mourão initially said the government is opposed, which would represent a change of the government’s position. Pressed further, he said he wasn’t privy to the delegation’s negotiation strategy.