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Committed to achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century, South America faces unique challenges in carbon mitigation due to its distinct socio-economic, technological, and institutional backgrounds compared to developed and other developing economies. Previous research on South America's carbon emissions has limited country and sector coverage and typically adopts a top-down approach that focuses on the overall emissions of an economy, neglecting individual energy sources and emission sectors. Therefore, this paper compiles a comprehensive inventory of CO 2 emissions for South American countries based on a meticulous bottom-up approach and multi-source data integration, followed by a thorough analysis of their temporal evolution patterns and the driving forces behind them. Between 2010 and 2020, South America's overall emissions peaked in 2014 at 1092.3 Mt., led by emissions from oil consumption and from the transport and electricity sectors, and dropped to 865.6 Mt. in 2020, due to the economic fluctuations and COVID-19. Specifically, Brazil was the largest emitter, Chile experienced the most significant increase in emissions, and Paraguay recorded the highest emission growth rate. Generally, expanding population was constant driver of emission growth. High energy intensity led to significant emission increases in Brazil and Ecuador, while elevated carbon intensity was the main driver in Argentina. Energy structure changes played a positive role in most countries to different extents (e.g., much more significant in Brazil than in Chile) but aggrevated emissions in Paraguay and Guyana. Therefore, carbon mitigation strategies should be tailored to each country's unique national circumstances. • During 2010–2020, South America's CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels peaked in 2014. • Transport and electricity sectors comprised over 60% of total emissions. • Brazil was the top emitter, while Chile saw the largest increase in emissions. • Emission patterns and driving factors varied significantly across countries. • Carbon reduction strategies should be tailored to local circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Legal Amazon of Brazil holds vast mangrove forests, but a lack of awareness of their value has prevented their inclusion into results-based payments established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Based on an inventory from over 190 forest plots in Amazon mangroves, we estimate total ecosystem carbon stocks of 468 ± 67 Megagrams (Mg) ha−1; which are significantly higher than Brazilian upland biomes currently included into national carbon offset financing. Conversion of mangroves results in potential emissions of 1228 Mg CO2e ha−1, which are 3-fold higher than land use emissions from conversion of the Amazon rainforest. Our work provides the foundation for the inclusion of mangroves in Brazil's intended Nationally Determined Contribution, and here we show that halting mangrove deforestation in the Legal Amazon would generate avoided emissions of 0.9 ± 0.3 Teragrams (Tg) CO2e yr−1; which is equivalent to the annual carbon accumulation in 82,400 ha of secondary forests. A new study shows that deforestation of Amazon mangroves releases up to four times more carbon dioxide when compared to emissions arising from terrestrial biomes. This study set a foundation for the use of mangroves in Brazil's international policy agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism serves as a crucial means of funding national development and ensuring the sustainability of local livelihoods in growing countries such as Brazil. Nevertheless, the accelerated growth of tourism in various nations might lead to significant environmental consequences due to heightened energy consumption. This surge in energy usage contributes to the exacerbation of global warming through the amplified release of carbon dioxide (CO2). In light of the increasingly evident impacts of climate change on the natural environment, a multitude of endeavors have been undertaken with the aim of attaining ecological sustainability. The objective of this study is to examine the dynamic effects of economic growth, energy consumption, and tourism on carbon emissions in Brazil by analyzing time series data spanning from 1990 to 2019. The stationarity of data was assessed through the application of unit root tests, while an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach was employed to analyze the relationship between the components, accounting for both the long-term and short-term dynamics. The empirical results indicate that a 1% rise in economic growth, energy consumption, and tourist arrivals leads to environmental deterioration by causing a respective increase in CO2 emissions of 1.37%, 1.06%, and 0.57% in the near term, and 0.72%, 0.62%, and 0.16% in the long term. This article presents policy ideas aimed at achieving carbon neutrality in Brazil by increasing the utilization of renewable energy sources, while simultaneously fostering sustainable tourism as a means to enhance the country's economy. Highlights •This study investigated the tourism-economy-energy-environment nexus in Brazil. •The econometric analysis revealed that tourism, energy use, and economic growth increase CO2 emissions. •This article offers policy suggestions to achieve sustainable tourism and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]