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Most of the world's nations (around 130) have committed to reaching net‐zero carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, yet robust policies rarely underpin these ambitions. To investigate whether existing and expected national policies will allow Brazil to meet its net‐zero GHG emissions pledge by 2050, we applied a detailed regional integrated assessment modelling approach. This included quantifying the role of nature‐based solutions, such as the protection and restoration of ecosystems, and engineered solutions, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. Our results highlight ecosystem protection as the most critical cost‐effective climate mitigation measure for Brazil, whereas relying heavily on costly and not‐mature‐yet engineered solutions will jeopardise Brazil's chances of achieving its net‐zero pledge by mid‐century. We show that the full implementation of Brazil's Forest Code (FC), a key policy for emission reduction in Brazil, would be enough for the country to achieve its short‐term climate targets up to 2030. However, it would reduce the gap to net‐zero GHG emissions by 38% by 2050. The FC, combined with zero legal deforestation and additional large‐scale ecosystem restoration, would reduce this gap by 62% by mid‐century, keeping Brazil on a clear path towards net‐zero GHG emissions by around 2040. While some level of deployment of negative emissions technologies will be needed for Brazil to achieve and sustain its net‐zero pledge, we show that the more mitigation measures from the land‐use sector, the less costly engineered solutions from the energy sector will be required. Our analysis underlines the urgent need for Brazil to go beyond existing policies to help fight climate emergency, to align its short‐ and long‐term climate targets, and to build climate resilience while curbing biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves have among the highest carbon densities of any tropical forest. These 'blue carbon' ecosystems can store large amounts of carbon for long periods, and their protection reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports climate change mitigation. Incorporating mangroves into Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement and their valuation on carbon markets requires predicting how the management of different land‐uses can prevent future greenhouse gas emissions and increase CO2 sequestration. We integrated comprehensive global datasets for carbon stocks, mangrove distribution, deforestation rates, and land‐use change drivers into a predictive model of mangrove carbon emissions. We project emissions and foregone soil carbon sequestration potential under 'business as usual' rates of mangrove loss. Emissions from mangrove loss could reach 2391 Tg CO2 eq by the end of the century, or 3392 Tg CO2 eq when considering foregone soil carbon sequestration. The highest emissions were predicted in southeast and south Asia (West Coral Triangle, Sunda Shelf, and the Bay of Bengal) due to conversion to aquaculture or agriculture, followed by the Caribbean (Tropical Northwest Atlantic) due to clearing and erosion, and the Andaman coast (West Myanmar) and north Brazil due to erosion. Together, these six regions accounted for 90% of the total potential CO2 eq future emissions. Mangrove loss has been slowing, and global emissions could be more than halved if reduced loss rates remain in the future. Notably, the location of global emission hotspots was consistent with every dataset used to calculate deforestation rates or with alternative assumptions about carbon storage and emissions. Our results indicate the regions in need of policy actions to address emissions arising from mangrove loss and the drivers that could be managed to prevent them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to understand how Protected Areas act for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The state of Mato Grosso, located in the center-west of Brazil, was analysed as it is a state of large dimensions and with different biomes in its composition. A case study was carried out in order to dimension the importance of PAs in dealing with the sequestration of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), using the state of Mato Grosso. From the literature review, it was identified that the Protected Areas are a mitigating instrument for climate change, since conservation maintains ecosystem services and helps in the capture and storage of carbon dioxide, called carbon sinks. Through a legal analysis, it was found that the environmental policies of Protected Areas do not materially establish climate change as a basis. The data obtained showed that 4.73% of the state area under study fits into this legal instrument. Despite corresponding to a small territorial parcel, the Protected Areas are spread over the three biomes that make up the state, in the search to protect the three different biodiversity. From the analysis of the data, it is concluded that the Protected Areas have a mitigating role for climate change in the state of Mato Grosso, due to Land Use Change, a factor of great incidence in the state. For further research, it is suggested to analyse the relevance of indigenous areas in this same scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]