AVS 47th International Symposium
    Incorporating Principles of Industrial Ecology Tuesday Sessions
       Session IE-TuM

Invited Paper IE-TuM6
Environmental Concerns in Brazil

Tuesday, October 3, 2000, 10:00 am, Room 304

Session: Methods of Industrial Ecology Analysis / Global Concerns
Presenter: T.M. Tavares, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil
Correspondent: Click to Email
Brazil has not reached the phase of concern for industrial ecology. Society has not even been able to practice selection of solid wastes in a broad sense. Industries are now concerned on obtaining ISO14000 certificate and adopting clean technologies. In a capitalist society the main driving force is economic interest. The means available to society to protect the environment are government regulation/ law enforcement and consumers demand. In Brazil the frame of the legislation for environmental management is closer to that of Europe than of USA. It includes a good and often efficient system of licensing installation of new enterprises and operation of existing ones. A great number of large ecological reserves have been established. However two things are lacking: proper criteria for a great number of chemical pollutants and law enforcement. National consumer’s demands have concentrated on protection of natural reserves and on industrial emission reduction. Demands of international consumers have resulted in cleaner production, as in pulp industries with change to elemental chlorine free (ECF) or total chlorine free (TCF). Brazil as a whole has no tradition in development of technologies. First, it lacks both financial and trained human resources since society never demanded it. This has also not been a concern of the government until 1999, when a new program for development of technologies has been launched ; Secondly, not before recently, part of the restricted development of technology in the country aimed green production. However, when government takes the initiative and demands new technology to meet economic interest, society responds. In 1970, 80% of the oil consumed in Brazil came from abroad, and the international prices were rising. With incentives from the Government, ethanol was introduced as fuel and new motors were development. Although the economic interest was the driving force, the environment profited from this less polluting fuel, and now other countries are adopting it. International demands can play an important role, and may be able to introduce carbon fixation through incentives, to more recycling, to assessment of life-cycle of products and to a greater environment conscious attitude.