Brazil’s Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) system

Source: The post Brazil’s Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) system has been created, based on the article “Let digital public infrastructure help meet climate aims”published in “Live mint” on 6th December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3- Environment

Context: The article discusses Brazil’s Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR), a digital platform to map and monitor rural land use. It ensures compliance with environmental laws, promotes sustainable practices, reduces costs for farmers. The system could be adapted for other countries to meet sustainability goals and create evidence-based policies.

What is Brazil’s CAR system?

1. CAR (Cadastro Ambiental Rural) is Brazil’s digital rural environmental registry under the Forestry Code.
2. It maps, monitors, and regulates rural properties to promote sustainable land use.
3. Farmers self-declare their land, providing geo-referenced details on boundaries, forest areas, water bodies, and preservation zones.

Why is CAR important for Brazil?

1. Addresses Deforestation: Brazil has lost 97% of its native vegetation due to aggressive agricultural expansion.
2. Supports Trade Compliance: CAR helps Brazil meet regulations like the EU Deforestation

Regulation, ensuring access to global markets.

3. Promotes Sustainable Practices: Farmers prove compliance with sustainability targets using CAR.
4. Reduces Costs: Small producers avoid high certification costs for deforestation-free products.
5. Facilitates Policy Design: Policymakers use CAR data to offer incentives for compliance and enforce penalties.
6. Encourages Loans: Lenders use CAR for verifying sustainability compliance before approving agricultural loans.
7. Consumer Assurance: Buyers verify product origins using CAR.

What is CAR’s potential for global climate action?

1. CAR could be modular and interoperable like India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI).
2. It could integrate with sustainability certificates, benefit transfers, and other government solutions.
3. Other countries could adapt CAR-like systems for their ecological challenges.
4. CAR can inspire a climate-change DPI model.
5. With CoP-30 in Brazil, the government could showcase CAR globally.
6. It can help regulators develop evidence-based policies to meet sustainability goals.

Question for practice:

Examine how Brazil’s Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) addresses environmental sustainability and supports global climate action.