Minister says Brazil will engage in climate change agenda

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Minister of Economic, Paulo Guedes, highlighted this Saturday (30) the Brazilian effort to become a full member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an international independent financial advisory body.

“Brazil wants access to the OECD, we want to be a member of the club. We are one of the largest economies in the world. They asked for our collaboration to make a global taxation agreement, we did; they asked for our cooperation to enter the climate change program. On the other hand, we want to have access to the club to discuss the most critical problems of the world economy,” he said in an interview with TV Brasil.

According to the minister, who participates in the G20 summit meetings in Rome, a group of the 19 wealthiest countries in the world plus the European Union, the organization’s secretary-general, Mathias Cormann, is a friend of Brazil. The Australian, Guedes pointed out, is formulating a framework for the OECD, one of the pillars of which is a look at advanced countries based on annual pollution flow.

“Brazil emits, per year, 1.7% of carbon into the atmosphere. China [which is not part of the OECD] expels 30%. The United States, 15%. The European Union, 14%. I am sure that Secretary Mathias Cormann is a friend of Brazil and will analyze our plea with due attention and sensitize the other members,” he said.

However, the decision for Brazil to join the organization depends on the approval of the other 38 members. To join the group formed by countries like the United States, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica, since 2017, Brazil has met several standards – called instruments of adherence – in relation to trade.

“Of the 247 requirements to join the OECD, Brazil has already satisfied 100 and applied for 60 more,” Guedes stressed. The expectation is that as soon as the waiting list for new accessions is opened, Brazil will be one of the first to join the group. “On the other hand, Brazil will engage in the climate change agenda, also having this special look that allows us to receive payments for environmental services. If Brazil preserved nature, it has to receive for the preservation of environmental services. The Secretary-General is very attentive”, he stated.