Helder Barbalho says that Pará will issue the first carbon credits and criticizes Petrobras – 04/07/2024 – Market

Pará is expected to announce the completion of its first issuance of carbon credits at the end of June, during Climate Action Week in London, he told Sheet Governor Helder Barbalho (MDB).

According to him, the operation involves 1 million carbon credits. The value and partner company cannot yet be disclosed.

The state estimates it has a total portfolio of 156 million certificates of this type. The financial potential is calculated to be above R$10 billion, which would place the source of resources at the same level of importance as the mining and agribusiness sectors in the Pará economy, said Barbalho on Saturday (6) in Cambridge (USA), where he participates in the Brazil Conference.

The idea is that this first issue will act as a lure to attract new interests from the private sector.

“When we take the forest stock and transform it into revenue, obviously this brings a chain of activities originating from the forest, and then I’m talking about bioeconomy financing, other productive activities that already make up our agroforestry systems strategy , from the migration of livestock activities, for example, to cultivation activities that restore”, he stated.

In his view, the forest stock is the differentiator of the Brazilian ecological transition agenda in the face of competition with other economies, be it the trillion-dollar program adopted by the USA during the Biden administration, or other countries in the global South that suffer from institutional instability.

“This does not exempt us from the responsibility of combating deforestation, of reducing emissions. On the contrary, we have to do more and more, because we are talking about an asset that needs to stop being destroyed to continue being an asset,” he said.

At the same time, he says that Brazil cannot be responsible for preserving the forest alone and demands that “the world is responsible for making the forest the economic and social solution for Brazil.”

“If not, we will only be left with the burden, but what about the people? We have 29 million Brazilians living in the region, and our HDI [índice de desenvolvimento humano] It’s one of the worst in Brazil”, he pointed out.

Asked whether the preponderance of mining and agribusiness in the state economy could be a problem in attracting investors, Barbalho states that the state has been combating illegal activities and is implementing a process of individual traceability of livestock.

The governor defends that minerals are also tracked – something he admits he does not know of a model of this type in the world. “But I understand that it’s not something complex, because when you have a mining exploration authorization, an environmental license, an invoice, you cross-reference the information and require traceability”, he says.

‘Minister speaks from a sectoral angle and Petrobras makes mistakes in the debate on the equatorial margin’

The governor of Pará minimized the recent statement by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, who said in an interview with Sheet that the country must explore oil and gas until it reaches the same level as developed countries.

Asked if the vision does not contradict the speech that Brazil has made as host of COP30 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), which will take place in Belém next year, and as president of the G20, Barbalho says that Silveira made the analysis ” from a sectoral angle” and that “the Minister of the Environment will certainly have another speech”.

At the same time, he states that “any proposal that aims only at energy security without environmental responsibility is wrong.”

In this sense, the governor criticized Petrobras in the debate involving oil exploration on the equatorial margin, especially at the mouth of the Amazon – a target of opposition from environmentalists. Last Monday (1st), the company announced a scientific expedition to research the region, which runs from the coast of Rio Grande do Norte to Amapá, on the border with French Guiana.

“I think Petrobras makes a mistake when it does not present an active and leading role in building solutions for this new perspective on the Amazon,” he said.

‘All cities would like to have the opportunity for Belém to host a COP’

In recent weeks, the Lula government has been evaluating behind the scenes how to dehydrate COP30, with part of the events being held in other cities, such as Rio and São Paulo. The fear is that Belém will not be able to offer a sufficient structure by November of next year to accommodate the meeting, which is expected to bring together thousands of delegates and other participants from 195 countries.

When asked about this possibility, Barbalho is categorical: “the federal government has already expressed its opinion. The COP has decided.”

He stated that the format of the event will be the same as in other places that hosted it: “the city hosts all events.”

“I understand those who speculate. Everyone would like to have the opportunity that Belém is having,” he said.

‘Lula’s re-election is deeply favorable’

Pointed out as Lula’s possible vice-president in a dispute for re-election, Barbalho stated that Brazil remains ideologically divided and that he does not believe in a change in this scenario in 2026. However, he sees possibilities for mitigation.

“This depends a lot on the economy,” he said, listing a reduction in inflation, interest rates and unemployment, and an increase in the GDP growth rate.

“We are talking about indices and numbers, some tangible and others less so, some are already enough and others take longer to be noticeable”, he stated, echoing an assessment by part of the government that attributes the high percentage of dissatisfaction to a difficulty for the population to perceive on a day-to-day basis. day the improvement of economic indicators.

Still, Barbalho assesses that “President Lula’s re-election scenario is profoundly favorable.”

Regarding the opposition, he states that naming any potential candidate at this time is speculation, but says that, regardless of who it is, it will be a competitive name.