Como grandes poluidores estão promovendo uma agenda climática “net zero” para atrasar, enganar e negar

The report characterizes "net zero" agendas as a "Great Cheat," asserting that they allow major polluters to continue emissions while relying on unproven technologies and flawed offsetting schemes. It details how these entities use lobbying, financial influence over academia, and corporate capture of international forums like the UNFCCC to displace real emission reductions. The document highlights specific failures in the plans of companies such as Shell, Total SA, and JBS, and calls for a transition to "Real Zero" by 2030 through systemic change and climate justice.

• The "net zero" concept is used by major polluters to maintain current emission levels or increase them by using mathematical equations to offset pollution in one location with subtractions in another, which the report describes as a vehicle for corporate greenwashing.
• Carbon offsetting and REDD+ schemes are identified as forms of "carbon colonialism" (CO2lonialismo), where the burden of climate action is shifted to frontline communities in the Global South, often leading to land grabbing and the displacement of indigenous peoples.
• The report identifies several "dangerous distractions" used in net zero plans, including Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), and hydrogen, arguing these are either unproven at scale, energy-intensive, or used to facilitate further fossil fuel extraction via Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).
• Analysis of specific corporate plans reveals contradictions: Total SA projects a 50% increase in oil and gas production between 2015 and 2025; Shell plans to increase LNG operations by 20% by 2025; and JBS's goal to end deforestation by 2035 implies continued contribution to deforestation for 14 years.
• Major polluters exercise "corporate capture" over climate policy through the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), which influences the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to prioritize market mechanisms over real emission cuts.
• The report documents a strategy of "stacking the deck" where polluting companies provide massive funding to prestigious academic institutions (such as Stanford, MIT, and Imperial College London) to shape research that validates net zero pathways.
• In the United States, the 45Q tax credit is cited as a policy that subsidizes carbon capture even when used for oil extraction, with a small number of corporations claiming nearly all the benefits despite documented misuse.
• The report concludes that net zero plans are fundamentally flawed because they lack concrete short-term targets, rely on impossible land-use requirements for carbon removal, and ignore the need for systemic change regarding power and racism.

APA

Bragg, J., Jackson, R. R., & Lahiri, S. (2021). Como grandes poluidores estão promovendo uma agenda climática “net zero” para atrasar, enganar e negar. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-Grande-Trapaca_PT.pdf

Chicago

Bragg, Jesse, Rachel Rose Jackson, and Souparna Lahiri. Como grandes poluidores estão promovendo uma agenda climática “net zero” para atrasar, enganar e negar. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-Grande-Trapaca_PT.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bragg |first1=Jesse |last2=Jackson |first2=Rachel Rose |last3=Lahiri |first3=Souparna |title=Como grandes poluidores estão promovendo uma agenda climática “net zero” para atrasar, enganar e negar |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=June 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-Grande-Trapaca_PT.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bragg2021como, author = {Bragg, Jesse and Jackson, Rachel Rose and Lahiri, Souparna}, title = {{Como grandes poluidores estão promovendo uma agenda climática “net zero” para atrasar, enganar e negar}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-Grande-Trapaca_PT.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }