Capturing the implications of land use change in Brazil through environmental assessment: Time for a strategic approach?

Journal Article · Fri Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Environmental Impact Assessment Review

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2010.06.002· OSTI ID:21499683

Bond, Alan ^[1]

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1. InteREAM (Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Assessment and Management), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom)

Brazil is experiencing a surge in planting of sugar cane crops driven by internal markets and external policy drivers for biofuels. The current expectation is for the expansion of these crops to continue. This creates concern over the extent to which the full implications of large scale land use change are currently being considered by decision-makers. Using the State of Sao Paulo as a case study (as it accounts for the majority of sugar cane grown in Brazil), a comparison was made of the impacts identified in Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Preliminary Environmental Reports (PERs), which have to be submitted for approval of most new sugar cane activities, with significant impacts known to be associated with sugar cane activities derived from literature review. The results from a review of 32 EISs and PERs (30% of the population) indicated that whilst some impacts were well covered by the sample (water and soil pollution, and air emissions) energy balance and Green House Gas emissions and food security had very limited consideration, and water resources, residues, labour conditions and social responsibility were only partially covered. Environmental Impact Assessment is constrained by its environmental advocacy role and its application to the project level only. This study highlights its limitations in the context of assessment of land use change which demands more strategic consideration.

• OSTI ID: 21499683
• Journal Information: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Vol. 31, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2010.06.002; PII: S0195-9255(10)00088-0; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0195-9255
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BIOFUELS
BRAZIL
CROPS
DECISION MAKING
ENERGY BALANCE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ETHANOL
FOOD
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
GREENHOUSE GASES
INTERNAL MARKET
LAND POLLUTION
LAND USE
SECURITY
SUGAR CANE
WATER
WATER RESOURCES
ALCOHOLS
ALTERNATIVE FUELS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DOCUMENT TYPES
EUROPEAN UNION
FUELS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
GRAMINEAE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
LATIN AMERICA
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
REEDS
RESOURCES
SOUTH AMERICA