IMPACTS DIVISION

Horizontal themes: Social and Economic Impacts, Environmental studies, and Land Use

Brazil has a concrete chance for leadership in biofuel production in the next decades. However, one needs to better understand local and global market structure changes, and the conditionings behind rates and patterns of bioenergy diffusion. Particularly, the institutional set of incentives and rules adopted (or not adopted) as industrial public policy in Brazil deserves attention.

The ethanol expansion in Brazil will combine productive gains based on new technologies and increase of sugar cane planted area. Fast growing rates could generate negative impacts on environment, on social relations and other economic activities. It is important to analyze risks and to propose specific methods or policies to avoid these impacts.

Finally, as far as ethanol became a global strategic fuel and a widespread alternative to climate change challenges, topics like carbon and energy balances and greenhouse gases emissions gain special relevance.