Brazil and Climate Change: Beyond the Amazon

Climate change is increasingly a part of the human experience. As the problem worsens, the cooperative dilemma that the issue carries has become evident: climate change is a complex problem that systematically gets insufficient answers from the international system. This book offers an assessment of Brazil’s role in the global political economy of climate change. The authors, Eduardo Viola and Matias Franchini expertly review and answer the most common and widely cited questions on whether and in which way Brazil is aggravating or mitigating the climate crisis, including: Is it the benign, cooperative, environmental power that the Brazilian government claims it is? Why was it possible to dramatically reduce deforestation in the Amazon (2005-2010) and, more recently, was there a partial reversion? The book provides an accessible-and much needed-introduction to all those studying the challenges of the international system in the Anthropocene. Through a thorough analysis of Brazil in perspective vis a vis other emerging countries, this book provides an engaging introduction and up to date assessment of the climate reality of Brazil and a framework to analyze the climate performance of major economies, both on emission trajectory and policy profile: the climate commitment approach. Brazil and Climate Change is essential reading for all students of Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, International Relations and Comparative Politics.