Brazil's diplomatic service has announced that it has withdrawn its offer to host the United Nations climate conference, Cop 25, scheduled for 2019.
Brazil has announced its intention to withdraw from organising Cop 25, the United Nations world climate conference scheduled to run from 11 to 22 November 2019. The decision was made public on Wednesday 28 November, just days before the start of Cop 24 in Katowice. For the government of the hard-right Jair Bolsonaro, this represents a clear political statement, including in view of the negotiations to be held in Poland. Although, officially, the foreign ministry communicated that the decision is the result "of budget cuts" and of issues related to the "transition process of the new administration, which will take office on 1 January".
"The fact that Brazil is withdrawing its candidacy to host Cop 25, formalised only two months ago, is a clear demonstration of the environmental policy that the new president will pursue," Greenpeace reacted on Twitter. Moreover, Bolsonaro has appointed Ernesto Araujo — a climate sceptic and fervent admirer of United States president Donald Trump — as head of Brazilian diplomacy. In an article in the newspaper Gazeta do Povo, he recently spoke of "climate alarmism". In doing so, he has effectively positioned himself against the opinion of virtually the entire scientific community across the globe.
