Expansion of Sugarcane Ethanol Production in Brazil: Environmental and Social Challenges

Abstract

Several geopolitical factors, aggravated by worries of global warming, have been fueling the search for and production of renewable energy worldwide for the past few years. Such demand for renewable energy is likely to benefit the sugarcane ethanol industry in Brazil, not only because sugarcane ethanol has a positive energetic balance and relatively low production costs, but also because Brazilian ethanol has been successfully produced and used as biofuel in the country since the 1970s. However, environmental and social impacts associated with ethanol production in Brazil can become important obstacles to sustainable biofuel production worldwide. Atmospheric pollution from burning of sugarcane for harvesting, degradation of soils and aquatic systems, and the exploitation of cane cutters are among the issues that deserve immediate attention from the Brazilian government and international societies. The expansion of sugarcane crops to the areas presently cultivated for soybeans also represent an environmental threat, because it may increase deforestation pressure from soybean crops in the Amazon region. In this paper, we discuss environmental and social issues linked to the expansion of sugarcane in Brazil for ethanol production, and we provide recommendations to help policy makers and the Brazilian government establish new initiatives to produce a code for ethanol production that is environmentally sustainable and economically fair. Recommendations include proper planning and environmental risk assessments for the expansion of sugarcane to new regions such as Central Brazil, improvement of land use practices to reduce soil erosion and nitrogen pollution, proper protection of streams and riparian ecosystems, banning of sugarcane burning practices, and fair working conditions for sugarcane cutters. We also support the creation of a more constructive approach for international stakeholders and trade organizations to promote sustainable development for biofuel production in developing countries such as Brazil. Finally, we support the inclusion of environmental values in the price of biofuels in order to discourage excessive replacement of natural ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and pasture by bioenergy crops.

Effects of intensive agriculture in the structure and functioning of tropical headwater streams

“…This prediction was based on the fact that transforming a landscape from pasture to sugarcane eliminates cattle waste and consequently, reduces organic loads to streams (SCHIESARI; CORRÊA, 2015). In addition, the intensive land management required for sugarcane production, including soil fertilization and the use of heavy machinery, increases sediment and nutrient loads to streams (MARTINELLI; FILOSO, 2008). Our results seem to support these predictions.…”

“…However, land intensification substantially increases the traffic of heavy machinery, soil displacement, and the use of fertilizer and pesticides (MARTINELLI; FILOSO, 2008). Such activities are known to have deleterious consequences for freshwater ecosystems (DIAZ-CHAVEZ et al, 2011;CIBIN et al, 2016), especially for headwater streams, which not only usually represent the majority of water bodies in a catchment (BENDA et al, 2005), but that are also vital to maintain the water quality and health of entire river ecosystems .…”

“…Suspended fine sediments have been reported as a key stressor for aquatic organisms (MATTHAEI et al, 2006;PIGGOTT et al, 2012;ELBRECHT et al, 2016) while nitrate is not only one of the main causes of eutrophication (MARTINELLI; FILOSO, 2008), but in elevated concentrations can be also toxic for invertebrates, fishes and amphibians (CAMARGO et al, 2005). In lentic ecosystems, the conversion of pastureland to sugarcane crops does not appear to have strong consequences to water quality when riparian forests are preserved (SCHIESARI; CORRÊA, 2015).…”

“…In agreement with other studies, our result showed that mean nitrate concentration in sugarcane crops was higher than in pasture. This result is associated with soil fertilization in sugarcane crops, which is transported to aquatic ecosystem due to the high mobility of nitrogen (MARTINELLI; FILOSO, 2008), increasing nitrate concentrations. In Brazil, pastures usually have low management intensity, generally with low or without fertilization.…”

Mudanças no uso da terra decorrentes da expansão da cultura da cana-de-açúcar na região oeste do estado de São Paulo

“…Suas vantagens competitivas e comparativas se devem à disponibilidade de recursos naturais (terra, água e radiação solar), de tecnologia (produção e processamento) e de mão de obra (MARTINELLI & FILOSO, 2008;NASS et al, 2007;GOLDEMBERG et al, 2008).…”