Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change

1. a) Brazil carries eight different water sources, one being the amazon river and another being the South Atlantic ocean. They will most likely experience an increase in water levels but what I discovered is they use a technique called Hydroelectric power that deals with water. What happens is, instead of using coal fired power plants that generate steam to turn the turbine (propeller) that then turns a metal shaft in an electric generator that creates electricity, Brazil uses water to do this. The water is confined by a damn that release the water down a slant where the turbine lays. The water then spins the propeller or turbine which then causes the metal shaft in the generator to spin and electricity is the outcome.

What i also find incredible is Brazil is using sugar cane to produce ethanol based fuel that a car can run off of. This is a great alternative because it reduces greenhouse gases enormously due to the fact that it decreases the need for oil and the amount of oil that is used. 

2. Brazil has many beautiful tropical regions but many are dying off because of deforestation which is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. Brazil is focused on not preserving and saving the ecosystem because not only does it absorb much of the CO2 but it provides oxygen for us to breath as well as providing a home for animals. Brazil is funding programs that are designed to protect the rainforest and let it live. I think it is awesome that people are getting together to save a part of the country that is so special to them. 

3. Brazil has committed to cut emissions 36.1 percent to 38.9 percent below projected levels in 2020 

and set domestic targets for curbs on deforestation in its Amazon and Cerrado regions.  

http://www.rainforestcoalition.org/documents/Persson_Azar_After_Kyoto_Brazil.pdf

The Kyoto protocol did not target to reduce deforestation because it is difficult when the demand for land can be scarce when it comes to drilling for oil or for population development. But Brazil has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emission by keeping the rainforest's from becoming extinct. 

4.As I said earlier, the largest contributor to greenhouse gases is deforestation. The whole country is adamant about keeping these forests safe and saving the ecosystem that lives there. Not only will it reduce CO2 emissions but it may also hold the cure for diseases or sickness. Brazil is not only striving to save their ecosystem by keeping a sturdy stance on saving the forest but they are also decreasing the pollution that is floating in the air by decreasing the use of oil. They do this by producing ethanol from sugarcane which is used to fuel a car. Brazil is also finding a use in natural energy such as hydroelectric power. 

5.I believe Brazil needs to do both. They can definitely take action into reducing CO2 just like very other country can but they also need to learn to adapt because they do have a lot of water that surrounds them and may be a threat. But they also have to worry about the rainforest not getting enough water to keep it from dehydrating. I think Brazil already has smart ideas on how to reduce carbon emissions the only things is the ideas need to become more familiar and widely used. The biggest threat to Brazil is the rainforests that live within.