Sustainable development and equity

International audienc

Carbon emission mitigation measures in Brazil--case study of biomass policy for a ferroalloy plant in Ceará State

The present work aims at discussing the possibilities of atmospheric carbon emissions mitigation in the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the forest sector using a case study in the Northeast of Brazil. Taking Ceará State as an example and based on the Ceará State Energy Balances for 1980, 1984 and 1987, the Carbon (C-CO2) Emission Balances were drawn up covering these same years. An exercise was carried out in order to draw up carbon emissions mitigation proposals through both Environmental Education and reforestation policies replacing forest clearing. The first, environmental education and forest management practices, involves more efficient practices in the woody sector. The second, reforestation policies, instead of felling native forests for fuel-wood burned to produce charcoal, is discussed from the economic point of view. An estimate was drawn up of the carbon abatement costs, using a case study for charcoal production based on reforestation instead of deforestation, for a ferroalloy plant in Ceará State.Biomass Carbon mitigation Ferroalloy sector Charcoal Deforestation Environmental policy

Acceptance of renewable energy innovation in Brazil--case study of wind energy

The paper presents some outputs of renewable energy power plants in Brazil, focusing in the case of wind energy. The information data are mainly acquired from a project developed by the authors with financial resources of Electric Energy National Agengy (ANEEL), United Nations Development Program (PNUD) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT). It was used as the socio environmental impacts to evaluate the acceptance aspect, using as examples some case studies implemented in Brazil and the previous experience of the authors.Renewable source Wind energy Social and environmental indicators

Artificial cooling of the atmosphere--A discussion on the environmental effects

This article presents a literature review to discuss some new technological options for climate change mitigation called as Geoengineering and the environmental impacts related to aerosol emissions. Some proposals to produce a cooler effect in the Earth surface at short term are defending the injection of a large quantity of aerosol particles in the stratosphere like a "virtual Pinatubo". In 15 June 1991 a volcanic eruption of the Pinatubo Mount in Philippines resulted in around -0.5 °C variation in Earth surface temperature in 1992 and only in 1995 the temperature returned back to the former one. Several important environmental issues arise from this kind of mitigation proposal. Some of the topics which may be considered relevant in such analysis are: the level of acceptable risk of this kind of technological option for the human and the environment as a whole; the foreseen linear and non-linear impacts resultant from the artificial cooling effect in the Earth surface; the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of this kind of proposals. The environmental problems associated to aerosols injections into the stratosphere are the main topic discussed in the present article.Aerosol emissions Climate change mitigation Technological options Environmental impacts Geoengineering

Land use change sector contribution to the carbon historical emissions and the sustainability--Case study of the Brazilian Legal Amazon

The paper presents 5 methodological aspects for the historic land use change accountability to compare 2 databases: the Historical Database on the Global Environment of RIVM, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, adapted by the IVIG, International Virtual Institute of Global Change of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, named HYDE/IVIG and the Brazilian National Institute of Spatial Research database, named INPE database. The 5 aspects here considered are geographic limits; scale; basic methodology; deforestation concept; vegetal classification. It also presents their importance for the results of the calculus of deforested areas in the Brazilian Legal Amazon case. The use of the 2 databases information for carbon emissions calculation showed to be useful in terms of magnitude but not for qualitative analysis. The calculus of deforested areas is approximately similar for the period analyzed. According to HYDE/IVIG, the Brazilian Legal Amazon land use changes representing agriculture and pasture lands, account 422,070 km2, between 1750 and 1990 and the natural areas modified were originally classified as 3 types: tropical forest, wooded tropical forest and savanna. According to INPE, the cumulative Brazilian Legal Amazon deforestation until 1990 accounts 415,000 km2 and the natural areas modified were originally classified as 9 types. It means that different carbon contents by unit of deforestation have to be taken into account for the carbon emissions calculus. These numbers show the compatibility of the databases in terms of magnitude but the quality of the information present huge differences.Land use change Deforestation Sustainability Carbon historical emissions Methodological comparison

GHG historical contribution by sectors, sustainable development and equity

Historical contribution to climate change is useful for future commitments to the burden share based on common but differentiated responsibilities as presented by the Brazilian Proposal [UNFCCC. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate. Implementation of the Berlin Mandate: Additional proposals from Parties, Addendum, Note by the secretariat; 30 May 1997.] according to Equity principle adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; 1992.]. This paper presents some results of historical greenhouse gases emissions inventories (CO2 from energy and land use change sectors, CH4 from enteric fermentation and N2O from animal waste manure management). It is discussed the differences among historical emissions in terms of development patterns and it is suggested some proposals for climate policy based on the concepts of equity and sustainable development.GHG historical emissions Sustainable development Equity

Analysis of the sustainability of using wastes in the Brazilian power industry

This paper presents a methodology for analyzing the sustainability of using wastes in the Brazilian power industry. It will describe projects, both completed and under development by coordination of the post-graduation programs in engineering (COPPE) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), for generating energy from wastes. The results of these projects were included in a doctoral thesis [Oliveira LB. Aproveitamento energético de lixo e biodiesel no Brasil (energy use of garbage and biodiesel in Brazil). Dissertation (doctoral), COPPE/UFRJ, 2004, p. 204, http://www.ppe.ufrj.br/ppe/production/tesis/lboliveira.pdf] defended in 2004 at the Energy Planning Program of the COPPE at the UFRJ--PPE/COPPE/UFRJ. The study encompasses an analysis of sustainability using a methodology developed for the above-mentioned dissertation, taking two existing methodologies into account: sustainability analysis and data envelopment analysis.Waste Renewable energy Sustainable development Brazilian biomass