Brasília – The Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development, Teh Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB) signed an agreement on Friday (15th) to encourage Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects at cooperatives.
The CDM is a financial compensation mechanism included in the Kyoto Protocol that enables the trade of carbon credits generated in projects that reduce emission of greenhouse gases. CDM projects are validated by rules of the United Nations (UN) and of governments – in the Brazilian case, by the Global Climate Change Inter-Ministerial Committee.
Through the agreement, cooperatives will have access to technical training in order to devise projects, technology transfer and support in seeking financing. According to the president of the OCB, Márcio Lopes de Freitas, there are pilot projects underway and cooperatives ready to receive technical support and start profiting in the carbon credit trade.
"We have examples of CDM projects at cooperatives in collection and treatment of swine waste, which emits lots of CO2 [carbon dioxide], as well as others that work with Atlantic Forest reforestation."
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
