Fernando Alcoforado*
To avoid the catastrophic future foreshadowed for humanity resulting from the depletion of the Earth’s natural resources, the disorderly growth of cities around the world and the catastrophic global climate change, it is imperative that governments commit to the model of sustainable development. Governments must act responsibly in order to contribute to the success of the sustainable development model that aims to meet the current needs of the Earth’s population without compromising its natural resources, bequeathing them to future generations. It means to say that the model of sustainable development must be adopted with the objective of making the environment compatible with economic and social development. This article aims to present how the Lula government will be able to make Brazil sustainable from an environmental point of view, collaborating to avoid the depletion of the country’s natural resources, the disorderly growth of Brazilian cities and catastrophic global climate change. Brazil will only achieve this condition of a sustainable country if the Amazon, the sectors of agricultural production, industrial production, energy, transport and Brazilian cities become environmentally sustainable with the support of national institutions, public and private, dedicated to science and technology and, if there is a laborious work of environmental education that contributes to commit governments, businessmen and the population in general to sustainable development.
The sustainability of the Amazon will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems, the main one being related to deforestation and fires that result in the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Due to deforestation, in the Amazon region alone, Brazil emits about 200 million tons of carbon per year. Such estimates place Brazil among the five most polluting countries in the world. This is without taking into account the emissions resulting from the Amazonian forest fires, which are not being considered nor were they included in the inventory of Brazilian emissions. In order to avoid the devastation of the Amazon Forest and ensure that the natural resources existing in the Amazon are used rationally for the benefit of the vast majority of the population living there and for the economic and social progress of Brazil, as well as collaborating in the fight against global warming, it is essential that there be effective environmental management based on a network structure that integrates the actions of all public and private agencies operating in the Amazon [1].
Sustainability for the agricultural sector will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems. What are the main problems of sustainable agriculture in Brazil? In addition to the high economic cost of maintaining it, overexploitation of the natural resource base has led to increasing levels of soil degradation and depletion, water pollution, poisoning and contamination of farmers by pesticides, as well as loss of biodiversity. Brazil is in 81st place in the Environmental Performance Index in the world. This is the Ranking carried out by Columbia and Yale Universities in the United States that show how countries improve the health of the environment, progress in protecting ecosystems and mitigate climate change. Brazil is the fourth worst in the world in recycling and the ninth in greenhouse gas emissions [2]. For Brazilian agriculture to become sustainable, it is necessary to increase its productivity without causing damage to the ecosystem. Sustainable agriculture to be adopted in Brazil should consider the existence of integrated production systems with practices that, over time, guarantee environmental quality, preserve natural resources, promote efficient use of resources and improve the quality of life of producers and society, with economic viability of agricultural processes. Sustainable farming requires crop rotation, use of natural fertilizers and biological insecticides so that these practices contribute to a healthier soil that is capable of meeting production needs without compromising future generations. Sustainable farming means controlling pests using more natural pesticides and less chemicals that contaminate the soil, air and water, reusing materials, creating systems that use rainwater for irrigation or even using maritime containers as a product warehouse.
The sustainability of the industrial sector will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems with the adoption of a set of practices applicable to the industry with the use of natural resources in a renewable and intelligent way that promotes economic and social development without compromising the future of the next generations. Industry can be sustainable as long as it does not pollute or pollute as little as possible, regularly maintain its equipment, dispose of waste properly using reverse logistics, use renewable energy whenever possible, reuse water as much as possible in processes industries and implement a culture of sustainable development. The most dangerous environmental impacts caused by industries are the damage that industrial development causes to the environment, which are commonly air, water and soil pollution, destruction of part of the flora, global warming, habitat invasion of wild animals, the imbalance of the food chain, among others. Industries need to work to find ways to produce, without polluting or polluting as little as possible, without disposing of waste in the seas and rivers, for example. Industrial pollution encompasses all polluting residues present in the air, water and soil that become harmful to human health, fauna and flora. Industrial waste recycling campaigns should be promoted by industries with the adoption of the circular economy or reverse logistics to avoid the exhaustion of Brazil’s natural resources [3].
The sustainability of the energy sector will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems. The Ministry of Mines and Energy prepared the National Energy Plan 2050 – PNE 2050, published on December 16, 2020, with a set of studies, guidelines and long-term strategies for the Brazilian energy sector [4]. The analysis of the PNE 2050 makes it possible to verify the great irrationality from the environmental point of view represented by the use of large hydroelectric projects in the Amazon region such as the Belo Monte plants, already built, Jirau, Santo Antônio, Estreito, among others, because they constitute a large threat to the numerous indigenous peoples of the Amazon and to the preservation of the Amazon Forest, which plays a fundamental role in the fight against global warming, given that it acts as a carbon sink. The sustainable energy policy required for Brazil in the electricity sector [5] there should be include greater use of the country’s wind, solar and biomass potential in addition to the use of hydroelectric potential than provided for in the PNE 2050. The energy policy required for Brazil in the oil and natural gas sector [5] there should be quite different from what was presented in the PNE 2050, which considers the expansion of production and consumption of oil and its derivatives, when the correct thing would be its reduction with the use of substitutes in transport for gasoline, with the use of ethanol, for diesel oil, with the use of biodiesel, and, in industry, for fuel oil with the use of natural gas, due to the fact that it is the cleanest fossil source among fossil fuels. The most appropriate substitute for LPG in homes would be natural gas. Petroleum derivatives should be used for more noble uses in the petrochemical and fine chemical industries. Unlike the possibility, admitted by PNE 2050, of using thermonuclear power plants by 2050, under the false argument that it is about clean energy, there should be the use of renewable energy sources in abundance in Brazil.
The sustainability of the transport sector will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems. The transport sector in Brazil presents road transport as responsible for 62.7% of the cargo transported in Brazil, rail transport accounting for 21.7%, water transport accounting for 11.7%, pipeline transport accounting for 3, 8% and air transport accounting for 0.1% [6]. The waterway modal is the most economical alternative because it has a superior traction force of 4 thousand kg, requires less investment per 1000 tons (0.75), has a longer useful life (50 years) and a lower cost per ton.km (0.009 ). The railway is in second place because it has a traction force of 500 kg, requires investment per 1000 tons equal to 2.5, has a useful life of 30 years and a cost per ton.km equal to 0.016. In turn, the road alternative has a traction force of 150 kg, requires investment per 1000 tons equal to 3, has a useful life of 10 years and a higher cost per ton.km (0.056). It should be noted that the train consumes up to 8 times less diesel oil than the truck per ton.km, 1 driver drives a train with 80 wagons. 1 wagon is equivalent to 2 trucks and does not affect traffic on highways, cities, etc. It demonstrates the irrationality of the transport matrix adopted in Brazil, which privileges the use of the road modal, which is, economically, the worst alternative compared to the waterway and railway alternatives that should be, in order, the most appropriate modes for use in Brazil. In addition, with 62.7% of cargo transport in Brazil, the road modal demands more diesel oil consumption than the waterway and railway modals, compromising the environment and contributing to global climate change.
The sustainability of Brazilian cities will be achieved by overcoming the existing environmental problems in them. The city has become the main habitat of humanity. For the first time in human history, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities [7]. The uncontrolled growth of cities in Brazil shows the lack of urban planning, generating irreversible impacts in these territories, reflected in the compromise of their environmental quality. Pollution, traffic jams, violence, unemployment, etc., are common in Brazilian cities. Water pollution is mainly caused by the release of untreated industrial and domestic effluents. Air pollution is a major problem detected in cities that results from the release of toxic gases into the atmosphere. The intense flow of cars and industries is mainly responsible for this type of pollution. It is in cities that the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development converge most intensely, making it necessary for them to be thought out, managed and planned in accordance with the sustainable development model that aims to meet the current needs of the Brazilian population without compromising its natural resources, bequeathing them to future generations [8]. For Brazilian cities to become sustainable, it is necessary to ensure the population’s right to urban land, housing, environmental sanitation, urban infrastructure, transport and quality public services, work and leisure, for the current and future generations. In the contemporary era, every Brazilian city needs to have a climate change adaptation plan, especially those subject to extreme events, and be concerned about landslides on slopes, flood control, etc., resulting from inclement rains [9]. Coastal cities, for example, must plan against the foreseeable rise in sea levels. Brazilian cities need to be smart and sustainable, which means they are rationally managed with the use of information technology and ensure the population’s right to urban land, housing, environmental sanitation, urban infrastructure, transport and quality public services , work and leisure, for current and future generations and that ensures the right of the population to decide on the fate of their city. Transforming a city into a smart and sustainable city means using information technology to facilitate city management with the collaboration of the population and counting on their participation in decision-making [10].
The sustainability of the Amazon, of the sectors of agricultural production, industrial production, energy, transport and Brazilian cities will only be achieved if they have the support of national institutions, public and private, dedicated to science and technology. It was the scientific and technological research carried out centuries ago by numerous scientific and technological institutions that made it possible to obtain advances in the various areas of knowledge that are contributing to the development of solutions aimed at moving from the current unsustainable model of development to the sustainable development model. National institutions, public and private, dedicated to science and technology need to continue this work developed worldwide to present solutions adjusted to the Brazilian reality to achieve sustainable development.
Sustainability will only be effectively put into practice in Brazil in all sectors of activity when environmental education is universalized through which the individual and the community in general will build new social values, knowledge, skills, attitudes and competences focused on conservation of the environment essential to a healthy quality of life and its sustainability. Environmental education aims to develop people’s awareness of environmental problems and encourage them to try to find solutions to these problems. Environmental education aims to promote actions aimed at maintaining the environment, training conscious individuals who promote citizenship practices, developing a spirit of cooperation among human beings and a healthy relationship between human beings and nature. Environmental education there should be institutionalized in teaching units, at all levels, treating it as a transversal theme, that is, it should not be a specific discipline, but should be present in all other disciplines or areas of knowledge. It is with the environmental education of the entire Brazilian population that it will be possible to make the commitment of government officials, businessmen and the general population of Brazil to sustainable development.
REFERENCES
1. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. Amazônia Sustentável. Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo: Editora Viena, 2010.
2. G1.GLOBO.COM. Brasil fica em 81° lugar no Índice de Desempenho Ambiental.. Available on the website <https://g1.globo.com/jornal-nacional/noticia/2022/06/01/brasil-fica-em-81-lugar-no-indice-de-desempenho-ambiental.ghtml>).
3. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. A economia circular para evitar a exaustão dos recursos naturais do planeta Terra. Available on the website <https://www.academia.edu/12454308/A_ECONOMIA_CIRCULAR_PARA_EVITAR_A_EXAUST%C3%83O_DOS_RECURSOS_NATURAIS_DO_PLANETA_TERRA>.
4. MINISTÉRIO DAS MINAS E ENERGIA. PNE 2050- Plano Nacional de Energia. Available on the website <https://www.epe.gov.br/sites-pt/publicacoes-dados-abertos/publicacoes/PublicacoesArquivos/publicacao-227/topico-563/Relatorio%20Final%20do%20PNE%202050.pdf>.
5. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. A política energética sustentável requerida para o Brasil. Available on the website <file:///C:/Users/Fernando%20Alcoforado/Downloads/9251-Texto%20do%20Artigo-26098-1-10-20140129.pdf>.
6. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. A matriz de transporte requerida ao Brasil. Available on the website <https://www.academia.edu/36766599/A_MATRIZ_DE_TRANSPORTE_REQUERIDA_AO_BRASIL>.
7. BEAUJEU-GARNIER, J. Geografia Urbana. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1980.
8. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. Cidades sustentáveis: exigência do século XXI, Available on the website <https://www.slideshare.net/falcoforado/cidades-sustentveis-exigncia-do-sculo-xxi>.
9. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. Como preparar as cidades contra eventos climáticos extremos. Available on the website <https://www.academia.edu/38323819/COMO_PREPARAR_AS_CIDADES_CONTR>
10. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. Como construir cidades inteligentes e sustentáveis. Available on the website <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/como-construir-cidades-inteligentes-e-sustent%25C3%25A1veis-alcoforado/>.
* Fernando Alcoforado, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, of the SBPC- Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science and of IPB- Polytechnic Institute of Bahia, engineer and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development from the University of Barcelona, university professor and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning, urban planning and energy systems, was Advisor to the Vice President of Engineering and Technology at LIGHT S.A. Electric power distribution company from Rio de Janeiro, Strategic Planning Coordinator of CEPED- Bahia Research and Development Center, Undersecretary of Energy of the State of Bahia, Secretary of Planning of Salvador, is the author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018), Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019), A humanidade ameaçada e as estratégias para sua sobrevivência (Editora Dialética, São Paulo, 2021), A escalada da ciência e da tecnologia e sua contribuição ao progresso e à sobrevivência da humanidade(Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2022)and a chapter in the book Flood Handbook (CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, United States, 2022).
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