The initial messages from the 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27), in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, point to the urgency of a global strategy that reduces carbon emissions by transforming energy systems. Until November 18, leaders from more than 190 countries are negotiating solutions to protect the health of the planet, closely followed by civil society, academia and the public and private sectors around the world.

In this scenario, the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Union (Unica) will add its voice to show the contribution of Brazilian bioenergy to the low carbon economy. Unica will be present in debates with organizations such as the Global Compact and the International Transport Forum (ITC), will promote seminars with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and will sign, on November 14, its adhesion to the Platform of Biofuture.

"In Brazil, we have enormous potential to play a leading role in the energy transition process and it is this debate that we will promote at COP27. Our energy matrix is ​​one of the cleanest in the world, made up of 48% renewables, three times higher than the world average", said the president of Unica, Evandro Gussi (photo). "Looking at sustainable mobility, ethanol emits up to 90% less CO2 than gasoline, in addition to having a sustainable production chain in line with the circular economy. These are important contributions that the sugar-energy sector brings to the COP, showing that the country has a lot to inspire on the agenda", he added.

Schedule
Unica's agenda begins this Thursday (11/10), with Gussi's participation in the panel "The role of agriculture in the decarbonization of the economy and reduction of GHG emissions", at 7 pm, in Pavilion 120 of COP27. The event is promoted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The following day, at 4 pm, Gussi participates in a panel on ethanol and green hydrogen, at Espaço Brasil, organized by the Ministry of the Environment.

An intense schedule is planned for Monday, November 14th. At the invitation of the Global Compact, Unica will debate topics related to low carbon agriculture, mitigation and resilience. The Global Compact is a UN Initiative to engage companies and organizations in the adoption of principles in the face of humanity's global challenges and is today the largest corporate sustainability network in the world, covering more than 160 countries.

On that day, the first of two events promoted by Unica and ApexBrasil will also be held. The seminar "Versatility and Complementarity: Low-Carbon Renewable Energy Sources" will start at 5 pm at the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum.

In partnership with the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb), the potential and experience of Brazil in the use of low carbon energy will be discussed by a high-level team. Among the panelists are Elbia Gannoum (president of Abeeólica), Fábio Feldmann (environmentalist and one of the founders of SOS Mata Atlântica), Márcio Lima (president of Anfavea) and Patrícia Iglecias (president of Cetesb).

Unica will also formalize its adhesion to the Biofuture Platform, an initiative established at COP-22 in 2016 to promote international coordination on a sustainable low-carbon bioeconomy. The event will be attended by the CEO of the Biofuturo campaign, Gerard J. Ostheimer.

Biofuturo aims to enable the reduction of GHG emissions and promote a circular economy, showing ways in which countries, companies and consumers can replace fuels, chemicals and other materials with bio-sustainable equivalents.

Circular economy
On November 15th, Unica will debate "circularity in transport" at an event promoted by the ITC (International Transport Forum). Mobility-related topics are also present at the event promoted by IICA on November 16, which will feature Unica in the panel "The role of liquid biofuels in the decarbonization of transport", at 3:30 pm, in Zone C120.

November 16 will also be marked by the second event promoted by Unica and ApexBrasil, this time in partnership with the Latin American Sugar Producers Association (Unala). The seminar "Beyond sugar and ethanol: circular economy to achieve decarbonization goals" will discuss the sustainability of the sugarcane production value chain and the versatility of its contribution to the low-carbon economy beyond transport.

Panelists will discuss the different solutions offered by sugarcane to replace petroleum derivatives, including 2nd generation ethanol, bioplastics, biogas and green hydrogen. The event will be held in the Blue Zone of the COP27 SDG Pavilion.

Project
In February 2008, ApexBrasil and Unica published a strategy to promote the image of sugarcane products abroad, especially Brazilian ethanol as a clean and renewable energy source. The two entities signed an agreement that provides for shared investments. The project intends to influence the process of building the image of ethanol and other sugarcane derivatives with the main world opinion makers - governments and the media, as well as trading companies, potential investors and importers, NGOs and consumers. .