VZCZCXRO0124
PP RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBR #1322 3210922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170922Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5370
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 0075
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 0034
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 0106
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0504
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BRASILIA 001322 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/BSC, OES/EGC, SECC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KSCA KGHG ENRG BR
SUBJECT:  BRAZIL AND FRANCE ANNOUNCE COMMON POSITION ON UN FRAMEWORK 
CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS 
 (U)  THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) During their meeting in Paris on November 14, Brazilian 
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) and French President 
Nicholas Sarkozy issued a joint press release detailing their two 
governments' common position on the upcoming UN Framework Convention 
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.  Through this joint 
position, the two presidents hope that their countries can act as a 
bridge between the developed and developing nations in these 
negotiations. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Highlights of this joint position include a 50% reduction 
in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2050 using a 1990 
baseline (the USG is currently using the year 2005 as a baseline); 
keeping the global temperature increase within a range of 2 degrees 
Celsius; need for comparable and ambitious goals between the Annex I 
(developed) nations and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions 
(NAMAs) for the developing nations; co-equal importance of 
mitigation and adaptation, specifically for the least developed 
countries and small island developing states; the need for increased 
public financing in addition to proposed methods for private sector 
finance; support for Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and 
forest Degradation mechanisms(REDD); and the creation of 
international centers for the sharing of experiences and 
technologies required to reduce carbon emissions. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The statement outlines the role that "sustainable biofuels" 
can play in reducing carbon emissions, though it does not define 
"sustainable biofuels".  (NOTE: In the past some Government of 
Brazil (GOB) interlocutors have drawn a distinction between 
sugarcane and corn based ethanol, indicating that only the former is 
truly sustainable.  END NOTE.) The joint position also highlights 
the importance of South-South cooperation on forest management; 
specifically in the area of remote sensing and earth observation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Finally, both countries issue a call for the UNFCCC 
negotiators to affirm in Copenhagen the need for a new international 
organization dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable 
development.  They believe that this organization could be 
established at the Rio+20 conference, which is being planned for 
2012 in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT.  It appears that Brazil found in France a 
developed nation partner to help it take on the "bridge" or 
dealmaker position that it has been seeking.  For its part, the 
joint statement shows that France was able to get some concession 
from the Brazilians as well.  Specifically, the statement indicates 
that the GOB has accepted the idea of a peak year for developed 
nations and language involving technology transfer that does not 
discuss suspending or breaking intellectual property rights for 
green technologies.  The emphasis placed on south-south cooperation 
may also provide more room for the USG to undertake triangular 
technical cooperation with the GOB in the area of climate change; a 
topic that will be discussed at the U.S. - Brazil Joint Commission 
Meeting on Science and Technology on November 19 and 20 in 
Washington, DC.  END COMMENT. 
 
KUBISKE