1 of 3 | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday. The two leaders released a joint statement pledging to get 20 percent of their countries' electricity from renewable energy by 2030. China and South Korea made similar pledges in anticipation of late 2015 U.N. climate talks in Paris. Pool Photo by Chip Somodevilla/UPI |
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WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- Brazil, China and the United States each announced on Tuesday new goals to reduce carbon emissions over the next 15 years, including through restoration of thousands of square miles of rainforest in South America.
In a joint-statement by U.S. President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, both countries pledged to get 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2030. The plan does not include hydro power and would reportedly require Brazil to double and the United States to triple its use of solar, wind and other renewable energies.
As well, Brazil agreed to restore 12 million hectares, or more than 46,000 square miles, of its rainforests in the same time frame, thereby increasing plant photosynthesis and pulling more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
"Twelve million hectares is roughly the size of England," The Washington Post quoted senior Obama adviser Brian Deese as saying. "This is particularly significant given Brazil's leadership as a steward to the world's largest rainforest."
Meanwhile, China, which leads the world in carbon emissions, on Tuesday announced goals to reduce its economy's carbon emissions rate to about 60 or 65 percent of current levels by 2030. The pledge follows agreements with the United States in November to pursue a goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2013 and comes in anticipation of a U.N. climate meeting in Paris later this year.
China had in 2009 set a goal of reducing 2005 carbon emissions levels up to 45 percent by 2029 and on Tuesday said it had already dropped 33.8 percent.
The United States has previously committed to reducing its emissions rate by 28 percent by 2025.
South Korea on Tuesday also announced a goal of reducing carbon emissions 37 percent over the next 15 years, but unlike China, Brazil and the United States, the country is not one of the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters.
