“Environmental Economics” is perhaps not the most appropriate name for the discipline we taught in 2015 and which paved the way for this book. It is common to discuss health economics, labor economics, the economics of infrastructure, and a variety of other areas of interest for which economic theory concepts developed since the 18th century can be useful. But in our case, there is a catch: the level of integration between economic processes and the environment. It is not a matter of merely applying economics concepts to environmental issues, but of understanding the flow of income generation as inextricably linked with the laws of nature. The production and consumption system cannot operate in perpetual motion, forming a continuous feedback loop.
Debunking Seven Myths About the Environment
Discussions about the interfaces between economics and the environment are intertwined with myths, with ingrained beliefs that do not correspond to reality. Through our book, we hope to have contributed with a theoretical basis and with analyses of practical cases so that readers can form their own opinions, based on facts, when they come across such beliefs. Still, we would like to objectively clarify seven of these myths that are often reiterated.
Myth 1 – Deforestation is needed for development
Myth 2 – Transgenics are harmful to health
Myth 3 – Plastic and mining are the great environmental villains of the 21st century
Myth 4 – Recycling will solve Brazil’s waste problem
Myth 5 – With increased awareness of the environmental problem, people will change their habits drastically
Myth 6 – Scattered houses with large green areas are sustainable
Myth 7 – Using wood contributes to the environmental crisis
Ten Steps for Brazil to Become an Environmental Powerhouse
Brazil has enormous untapped environmental potential. In this book, we call to mind that Brazil has several important biomes, including two of the largest tropical forests in the world. We are leaders in renewable energy and we produce food for all continents. Yet, the country’s environmental management still faces considerable challenges that cannot be ignored.
The Brazilian environmental potential is our greatest competitive advantage and can be a driving force for the country’s growth in the 21st century. Harnessing this potential is contingent on a series of measures to be taken by public and private agents as well as by civil society. Below we list ten guidelines for the country to get to 2030 as one of the undisputed world leaders as regards sustainable economic development.
1. Combating and ending illegal deforestation and public land theft, thus breaking the perverse cycle of land grabbing.
2. Monetizing ecosystem services rendered by agents who preserve native biomes, either through domestic mechanisms or through integration into global carbon markets.
3. Expanding the participation of crop-livestock-forest integration systems and of regenerative agriculture in the total cultivated area, strengthening Brazil’s position as a leader in low-carbon agriculture.
4. Diversifying agricultural production beyond foodstuffs, so as to provide renewable fuels, biomass, fibers, and other inputs for sustainable industries, both in Brazil and abroad.
5. Keeping our leadership position in sustainable energy, with expansion of wind, solar and biomass sources as well as replacement of diesel thermal plants and investments in energy storage systems, so that our matrix’s low carbon footprint continues to be a differentiating factor favoring national industries.
6. Increasing the participation of cabotage (coastal shipping), waterways and railways in the transport matrix, reducing costs and specific emissions from transportation.
7. Universalizing water and sanitation services, by guaranteeing access to potable water and to sewage treatment and by shutting down dump sites; in addition, enhancing recycling, waste energy recovery and water reuse programs.
8. Intensifying research and development related to bioeconomics in order to identify new products derived from Brazilian fauna and flora as well as new applications for known raw materials and molecules, making Brazil the world’s largest research center in tropical bioeconomics.
9. Providing incentives to curb the use of fossil fuels in urban transport, combining biofuel use and electrification of fleets with investments in public transport networks and, more importantly, in infrastructure for active transport modes, with urban densification and adaptation of sidewalks and bike lanes.
10.Integrating all the above-mentioned initiatives and others into a strategic plan with the purpose of positioning the country as a leader in the green economy, creating a “made in Brazil” brand identity that projects this image onto all products and services in the country.