Climate Action 2010-2011

SPECIAL FEATURE | State of Bahia
Figure 1: GHG emissions by activity sector in 1990 and 2008.
The energy sector inventory was developed under the
disaggregation level adopted by the state’s Energy Balance
Sheet of 2009. It covers the emissions from various
subsectors and adheres to the structure suggested by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
In 2008, Bahia’s energy sector generated GHG
emissions totalling 28,555 GgCO 2
-eq (gigagrams of CO 2
equivalent), making it the state’s biggest carbon emitter,
responsible for a third of total emissions. The transport
and industry sectors were the next biggest polluters,
responsible for 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
GHG emissions in Bahia have increased by over 80 per
cent from 1990 levels.
As shown in Figure 1, the share of total GHG
emissions generated by the energy sector has increased
significantly between 1990 and 2008. In 1990, the
industry sector was the highest emitter, responsible for
37 per cent of total emissions in the state, while the
energy sector contributed only 12 per cent.
The transport sector’s emissions increased by 80 per
cent over the same time period, largely due to the road
and air sub-sectors. Waterways, meanwhile, have seen a
sizeable drop in emissions.
The industrial processes and product
uses sector
This sector measures the emissions from production
processes that are not included in the energy sector. These
emissions originate from various industrial activities.
Between 1998 and 2008, CO 2
emissions in the industrial
sector had increased by 9.8 per cent. In 2008, the nonmetallic
minerals subsector was the highest emitter of all
those in the industrial sector, responsible for over 47 per
cent of emissions, followed by metallic minerals, (36.1 per
cent), and the chemical industry (13.5 per cent).
State of Bahia’s Climate Change Policy
The bill to institute the state of Bahia’s Climate Change
Policy is currently awaiting the House of Representative’s
appraisal and voting. It aims to align social and economic
development with climate system protection measures
by: mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change;
reducing the growth rate of GHG emissions while
developing carbon capture and storage technologies; and
defining and implementing climate adaptation measures
in all Identity Territories, especially those most vulnerable
to the predicted adverse effects. These goals seek to foster
sustainable growth, eradicate poverty and reduce the
state’s social inequalities.
The proposed policy was jointly prepared by several
segments of the state and civil society during discussions
facilitated by the Bahia Forum on Global Climate
Change and Biodiversity. It expresses the State of Bahia’s
commitment to the global climate change challenge and
its attempt to balance economic development with the
vital climate change protection needed for present and
the future generations.
Bahia’s bill was submitted after the national Brazilian
Climate Change Policy was instituted in December
last year. It means Bahia’s bill not only reflects the
environmental scenario of the State of Bahia, but is also
aligned with the principals guiding the country’s national
policy and the concerns of the international political
agenda. They share the objective to implement key
climate system protection measures while recognising the
importance of continued economic growth.
In addition to describing the main goals, directives
and instruments of the State Climate Change Policy, the
proposal paves the way for the State Plan for Climate
Change, which will set concrete actions for reducing
or stabilising GHG concentrations in the state. It will
therefore be an important contribution towards meeting
Brazil’s voluntary commitment to cut emissions by
between 36.1 and 38.9 per cent by 2020, as pledged by
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the COP 15
in Copenhagen last year.
Environment Secretariat of Bahia (Secretaria do Meio
Ambiente da Bahia), Secretary Eugênio Spengler
Tel: (71) 3115-3807
Email: secretario.sema@sema.ba.gov.br
Communications Office, Journalist: Livia Lemos
Tel: (71) 3115-3836
Email: livia.lemos@sema.ba.gov.br
Bahia Forum on Climate Change, Responsible: Adriana
Diniz
Tel: (71) 3115-9803
Email: fbmc.sema@sema.ba.gov.br
www.climateactionprogramme.org | 33 |