EU commissioner blasts Brazil climate pledge for not going far enough

FILE PHOTO: EU Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius speaks during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, March 9, 2021. Stephanie Lecocq/Pool via REUTERS

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The European Union's top environment official told Brazil on Wednesday that the South American country's updated climate pledge "sends a bad signal" by only committing to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2060.

Like most of the world, Brazil late last year submitted an updated commitment under the Paris Agreement on climate change, known as a nationally determined contribution (NDC). But the country largely maintained its previous targets while adding the net-zero-by-2060 pledge.