CCI Conservation Seminar - Dr Aline Soterroni, 14th June 2023

CCI Conservation Seminar Wed 14th June, 4 to 5 pm

Dr Aline Soterroni, University of Oxford

Contribution of nature-based solutions to Brazil's net-zero pledge

Brazil is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, home to one-third of tropical forests, a major producer and exporter of several agricultural commodities, and a world's top greenhouse gas emitter, with its emissions mainly coming from land use rather than burning fossil fuels. Deforestation, which is mainly driven by agriculture, is the single largest source of emission in Brazil. The ongoing ecosystem conversion not only has significant local impacts but also poses a threat to the integrity of the entire biosphere. Like many other nations worldwide (around 130), Brazil has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century. In this talk, Aline Soterroni will explore whether the existing and planned national policies, particularly in the land-use sector, can put Brazil on the path to its net-zero pledge. This includes quantifying the role of nature-based solutions, such as protection and restoration, and engineered solutions, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). To this end, regional versions of global models for Brazil were used, which allowed the construction of more realistic baselines and national policy scenarios. The need for aligning short- and long-term targets, the issues related to heavy reliance on costly and not-mature-yet engineered solutions, and the critical role of nature-based solutions in Brazil's net-zero pathways will be discussed.

Aline is a Research Fellow at the Department of Biology of the University of Oxford working on Nature-based Solutions and Oxford Net Zero Initiatives. Her background is Mathematics with a Master and PhD in Applied Computing from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. She is an environmental scientist by training with experience in regional economic land use modeling. Her research interests are related to scenarios modelling for quantitative environmental and climate policy evaluation with a particular focus on Brazil. Currently, she is interested in understanding the synergies and trade-offs between net-zero policies and biodiversity conservation, including the role of nature-based solutions in climate mitigation efforts. She is also interested in evaluating policies regarding ecosystem protection connected to forest-risk supply chain agreements.

Online participants need to sign up using the Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cci-conservation-seminar-dr-aline-soterroni-14th-june-2023-tickets-646881809907

If you're coming in person, there's no need to register.

Drinks will follow in the DAB common room.