The Brazilian mining sector announced a goal of reducing its direct carbon emissions by up to 90%, demonstrating that interest in projects and initiatives aimed at reducing emissions is likely to remain high in the country across various sectors.
The target, to be achieved by 2050, was presented this week by the Brazilian mining association (Ibram) to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, designated president of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP30 ), which will be held in Brazil in November.
“The study delivered to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, in addition to pointing out ways to reduce direct carbon emissions from the Brazilian mining sector by up to 90% by 2050, reinforces the sector’s potential to contribute to reducing the country’s total emissions, reduce global emissions from the steel chain and support the advancement of global electrification,” said Ibram, which represents the largest mining companies with operations in Brazil, in a statement.
The commitment is linked to both direct and indirect impacts of mining activity.
Directly, companies plan to expand the use of biofuels , increase the consumption of electricity from renewable sources, electrify fleets and equipment, and restore degraded areas to neutralize residual emissions.
The sector also intends to contribute to the production of inputs for low-carbon steel, such as pellets and briquettes for direct reduction routes.
By 2050, the segment projects to double the production of critical minerals related to the energy transition – including copper, nickel, bauxite, lithium and rare earths.
In practice, the sector has already been increasing its investments in socio-environmental initiatives. According to Ibram, between 2025 and 2029, the segment is expected to invest US$11.33 billion in these initiatives, a 6.2% increase compared to the period 2024 to 2028.
Gustavo Pimenta, president of Vale, Brazil’s largest mining company, believes private sector engagement is essential for advancing the climate agenda in Brazil.
“For Vale, which has decarbonization as one of the core pillars of its business, it is a source of pride to co-lead this initiative [presented by Ibram]. Especially at a time like this, when energy transition minerals are gaining relevance in global geopolitics. Brazil is at the center of this discussion, as it has enormous production potential for these minerals, in addition to being one of the largest producers of high-quality iron ore, essential for the decarbonization of the steel industry,” said the Vale executive in a statement.
After an intense cycle of ESG target announcements, with aggressive emissions reduction targets at the beginning of the decade, some market players noticed a slowdown in the execution of projects associated with such initiatives.
“I believe this is more about the speed of projects than a binary issue. No one has stopped considering it relevant; reality has set in, and everyone is adapting to the possible pace of decarbonization. But this is a topic that remains important,” Daniel O’Czerny, Citigroup ‘s director of global infrastructure finance for Latin America, told BNamericas.
According to O’Czerny, even the oil and gas sector has made progress in reducing emissions.
As an example, he cited the FPSO Maria Quitéria , built by Yinson to serve Petrobras, which is the first fully electrified combined-cycle platform ship. The unit is equipped with technologies that reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 24%, in addition to increasing efficiency.
In the field of infrastructure and logistics, emissions reduction initiatives are also gaining momentum, with companies adopting sustainable practices driven by economic incentives.
A survey conducted by the National Waterway Transportation Agency ( Antaq ) shows that five of Brazil’s main ports already offer benefits to vessels with a lower carbon footprint, such as tariff discounts or berthing priority, in gradual alignment with global decarbonization goals.
The Antaq study, announced this week in a statement, covered the Port of Itaqui (Maranhão), the Pecém Private Use Terminal (Ceará), the Port of Paranaguá (Paraná), the Açu Private Use Terminal (Rio de Janeiro) and the Port of Santos (São Paulo), the largest in the country.
(The original version of this content was written in Portuguese)
