As we approach the conference on climate change to be held in Paris in December (COP-21), perhaps the most intriguing question we might ask is this: Which country has made the largest reductions in its greenhouse gases emissions? Several scientific papers point to a clear answer: Brazil.
With an impressive 41 percent reduction in emissions since 2005, the country has kept more than 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Should the entire U.S. transport sector — including cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes and other vehicles — switch to renewables, it would take almost two years to achieve a similar reduction.
More than 20 years after the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scientific evidence of climate change has increased substantially, the issue has become a political priority in most countries, several economic solutions have been proposed and public awareness has never been higher. And yet, reducing emissions remains a daunting challenge.