Meet the FABLE Brazil team

The team is led by Instituto Dom Luiz, with contributions from the Graduate School of Engineering (COPPE) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL) is an Associated Laboratory based at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL). IDL focuses on fundamental Earth System research, as well as applications and technologies that relate science with today's societal concerns: forecasting and adapting to climate change and to other major natural hazards, and establishing an environmentally sustainable supply of raw materials, water and energy.

Under COPPE, the Energy Planning Program (PPE) oversees the Center for Energy and Environmental Economics (Cenergia), a prominent think-tank for Latin America and global issues, focused on energy, economy, and environmental sustainability. It conducts applied research on energy's impact on socio-economic development and the environment, using advanced modeling tools for low-carbon transition insights.

The FABLE Brazil team’s main areas of interest are in land-use modelling, sustainable development, climate change impacts, and forest restoration.


Roberto Schaeffer

Alexandre C. Köberle

Instituto Dom Luiz

Wanderson Costa

Wanderson Costa

Instituto Dom Luiz

Sara Juliana Gálvez Gutiérrez

Sara Juliana Gálvez Gutiérrez

Instituto Dom Luiz

Roberto Schaeffer

Roberto Schaeffer

Cenergia Lab – COPPE/UFRJ

Aline Soterroni

Aline Soterroni

Oxford University

Joana Portugal Pereira

Joana Portugal Pereira

Cenergia Lab – COPPE/UFRJ; University of Lisbon

Ana Carolina Fiorini

Ana Carolina Fiorini

Cenergia Lab – COPPE/UFRJ

Fabio Diuana

Fabio Diuana

Cenergia Lab – COPPE/UFRJ

Ana Carolina Fiorini

Gerd Angelkorte

Cenergia Lab – COPPE/UFRJ

Former members: Marluce Scarabello and Fernando Ramos.



Transforming food and land-use systems in Brazil

Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world, along with a land area and population that ranks fifth and sixth globally. Its diverse geography and topography make it home to some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, notably in the Amazon basin, the Atlantic forest, and the Cerrado.

Activities resulting from the food production system, particularly cattle ranching and overfishing, are major drivers of biodiversity loss. Brazil's global position as one of the largest producers and exporters of beef has resulted in massive deforestation in the Amazon. Soybean production, which is on the rise, also poses a significant risk to natural habitats such as the Cerrado biome.

Deforestation, water pollution, forest fires, and invasive species are among the main threats to biodiversity, with 1,249 species in Brazil alone considered to be endangered. Destructive activities such as logging and illegal mining further compound these threats. These adverse effects on nature are exacerbated by the transportation and energy infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and hydroelectric reservoirs. All these challenges combined with climate change can have a significant impact on the progress in Brazil's agriculture and food security goals.


Key national objectives and targets

In the latest Brazil’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC, the country committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37% below 2005 levels in 2025, and by 50% below 2005 levels in 2030. Additionally, Brazil’s commitments include a long-term objective to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

The Brazilian government pledged to reforest 12 million hectares by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge commitment and Brazil’s NDC.

Nearly 200 countries, including Brazil, sealed a deal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 at the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal. Among the four goals and 23 action-oriented targets, the countries pledged to protect at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030, while also recognizing Indigenous and traditional territories.

Brazil also committed to reducing at least 30% of its anthropogenic methane emissions by 2030 under the Global Methane Pledge.


Publications & Activities