VZCZCXRO9798
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1472/01 3180959
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130959Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2846
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3033
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 6848
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 8675

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 001472 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/EGC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: CLIMATE CHANGE ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION 
 
REF:  A)STATE 116939, B) BRASILIA 1462, C) BRASILIA 1159, 
D) BRASILIA 1377 
 
¶1.  (U)  THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR 
INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) REFTEL A asked how the Brazilian government may have 
changed organizationally with respect to climate change over the 
past 12-18 months.  Post's answers are keyed to questions. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) HAS YOUR HOST GOVERNMENT ALTERED ITS BUREAUCRATIC 
STRUCTURE FOR ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE PAST 12-18 MONTHS? 
CHANGES MIGHT INCLUDE A) CREATING NEW AND SEPARATE MINISTRIES, 
DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES OR SPECIAL UNITS; B) CHANGING THE NUMBER OF 
STAFF DEVOTED TO CLIMATE CHANGE DOMESTICALLY AND/OR INTERNATIONALLY; 
C) CREATING NEW INTERAGENCY TASK FORCES AND COORDINATING MECHANISMS 
FOCUSED ON PARTICULAR COUNTRIES, REGIONS, OR TOPICS; AND/OR D) 
CREATING NEW SENIOR CLIMATE-RELATED FUNCTIONS (E.G. SPECIAL 
AMBASSADOR). 
 
The Ministry of External Relations (MRE) leads the Brazilian climate 
change negotiating team, which also includes representatives from 
the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology 
(MCT).  MRE Under Secretary for Policy, Ambassador Everton Vargas, 
heads the team and he is also the principal for the Major Economies 
Meeting (MEM) process.  Other key figures on the Brazilian team 
include: 
 
o Luis Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Minister, Director of the 
Department for the Environment and Special Themes, MRE 
 
o Andre Odenbreit Carvalho, Counselor, Chief of Division for 
Environment Policy and Sustainable Development, MRE 
 
o Sergio Barbosa Serra, Ambassador, Special Representative for 
Climate Change, MRE 
 
o Suzanna Kahn Ribeiro, Secretary, Secretariat for Climate Change 
and Environmental Quality, Environment Ministry 
 
o Thelma Krug, Director, International Relations Office, National 
Space Research Institute (INPE), MCT  (NOTE:  Dr. Krug was formerly 
the Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Quality, 
Environment Ministry) 
 
o Jose Domingos Gonzalez Miguez, Executive Secretary, 
Interministerial Commission on Global Climate Change, MCT 
 
¶4.  (SBU) There are some interesting personnel changes that have 
taken place or will take place shortly.  First, Carlos Minc replaced 
Marina Silva as the Environment Minister in May.  In late October, 
Minc publicly suggested that Brazil would reverse its position to 
oppose developing countries accepting binding quantitative 
obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Minc called for 
Brazil to accept a GHG emissions reduction target of 10% to 20% by 
¶2020.  The MRE, which has the lead on this issue, emphatically 
rejected Minc's suggestion.  MRE's Special Ambassador for Climate 
Change Sergio Barbosa Serra suggested that Minc might have been 
"misquoted" in the press. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Second, Amb. Vargas is scheduled to leave to become 
Brazil's Ambassador to Germany in early 2009.  After Minc's arrival 
at the Environment Ministry, Thelma Krug left the Environment 
Ministry for INPE and was replaced by Suzanna Kahn Ribeiro.  For the 
time being, Krug apparently still plays a role in helping set 
Brazil's policy.  Vargas and Krug have consistently opposed changes 
in Brazil's position.  Thus, if their influence were to decline then 
- given Minc's readiness to make changes - the Brazilian team might 
take a different approach then the current stance of "no targets" 
for developing countries. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Brazilian government has created a variety of entities 
to support its climate change effort.  In June 2000 it created the 
Brazilian Forum on Climate Change (FBMC), which is chaired by the 
President of the Republic and includes, among others, federal 
officials, secretaries of environment from state governments and 
representatives of business, civil society, NGOs and academia.  In 
November 2007, the FBMC created the Interministerial Committee on 
Climate Change (CIM) and it prepared a proposed Plan of Action on 
Climate Change (see REFTEL B), which Brazil hopes to roll out at the 
Poznan conference in December 2008.  The CIM is chaired by the 
President's Office and has representatives from 16 federal entities 
and the FBMC. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) On August 1, President Lula signed a Decree creating the 
"Fundo Amazonia" (or Amazon Fund), a new tool to help reduce 
Brazil's high rate of deforestation, which is the principal source 
 
BRASILIA 00001472  002 OF 002 
 
 
of greenhouse gas emissions by Brazil.  The government had a target 
of raising as much as USD 21 billion by the year 2011.  So far, only 
Norway has contributed, with a pledge of up to USD 1 billion through 
¶2015.  The National Plan on Climate Change envisions a proposal 
going to Congress to create a national climate change fund, drawing 
on revenues from oil and gas operations.  This fund is only at the 
most preliminary stages and may take years, if ever, to go through 
Congress. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) TO WHAT EXTENT ARE NEW MINISTRIES OR FOREIGN OFFICES 
STRENGTHENING THEIR EMBASSIES IN WASHINGTON TO REPRESENT VIEWS ON 
CLIMATE CHANGE TO THE U.S. EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND CONGRESS? 
 
The Brazilian Embassy in Washington has an environmental office. 
Moreover, the current Ambassador has a background in environmental 
issues. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE YOUR COLLEAGUES IN OTHER EMBASSIES 
SOUGHT YOU OUT TO DISCUSS THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE OR CURRENT AND 
PROSPECTIVE U.S. POLICY ON CLIMATE CHANGE? 
 
There is a regular dialogue in Brasilia among interested embassies 
about climate change and the Brazilian position, as well as the U.S. 
position.  The countries that have participated in this dialogue 
recently are: the UK, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, 
France, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Australia, the European 
Commission, Spain, Denmark, and Sweden.  (See REFTEL D) 
 
SOBEL