Climate changes predicted for Brazilian Amazonia place much of the forest in danger of dieoff from the combined effect of drought and heat within the current century, and much sooner for some areas.... Show More

Climate changes predicted for Brazilian Amazonia place much of the forest in danger of dieoff from the combined effect of drought and heat within the current century, and much sooner for some areas. Increases are expected in the frequency and magnitude of droughts from both the El Niño phenomenon and from the Atlantic dipole. These changes imply increased frequency of forest fires. Forest death from drought, fires or both would be followed by a transformation either to a savanna or to some type of low-biomass woody vegetation, in either case with greatly reduced biodiversity. This risk provides justification for Brazil to change its negotiating positions under the Climate Convention to accept a binding target now for national emissions and to support a low atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (400 ppmv or less) as the definition of “dangerous” interference with the climate system.

The county of Barcelos in the state of Amazonas, Brazil comprises 122 thousand square kilometers of land, composed of the rainforest, rivers and lakes of the middle Rio Negro watershed. The area is... Show More

The county of Barcelos in the state of Amazonas, Brazil comprises 122 thousand square kilometers of land, composed of the rainforest, rivers and lakes of the middle Rio Negro watershed. The area is virtually free of deforestation and blessed with abundant fishery resources. It is widely regarded to be the best freshwater fishing location in the world and until recently was regarded as one of the global centers of the aquarium fish trade. Unfortunately, a variety of factors have kept the human population of this immense region from benefiting from these abundant natural resources. This paper outlines a path towards sustainable development of these resources that we developed in conjunction with the government of Barcelos, fishermen’s cooperatives, and indigenous associations. The paper illustrates how a payment for environmental services can jump start sustainable development in a pristine area and illustrate some of the factors that can impede such a system. Most discussion of payment for environmental services focuses on how such a payment can prevent deterioration of an area under current threat. The goal is to improve the quality of life of the citizens of the area in a way that eliminates future potential threats to the ecological integrity of the complex aquatic/terrestrial ecosystem. In addition to the development of human capital, a fishery and ecotourism management plan is developed that uses the revenue from the environmental tax to solve infrastructure, human capital and social capital needs. Although the official program of payment for environmental services was halted for local political reasons, the authors are in the process of establishing a voluntary program of payment for environmental services which will accomplish the same objectives.

The main objective of this article is to analyse the development of Amazon region through biotechnological activities. Amazonia, by virtue of its tremendous biodiversity, has excellent possibilities... Show More

The main objective of this article is to analyse the development of Amazon region through biotechnological activities. Amazonia, by virtue of its tremendous biodiversity, has excellent possibilities of meeting a growing market for biotechnological products, being that the development of this sector demands not only abundant natural resources, but also the existence of an institutional environment that is able to integrate productive activities with research on science and technology. The promotion of regional development, thus, depends on the configuration, which, according to Boisier, is composed by six elements, present in all regions that interact with each other. The article concludes that Amazonian development is directly related to the participation capability of many segments of society for the development of biotechnological activities, in which the State should play an important role in drawing up policies towards the biotechnological sector and, at the same time, in setting up participation channels for the relationship among actors.

During the first Kyoto Protocol period (2008-2012) the carbon market evolved globally as well as Brazil. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, which promote technology substitution in order to... Show More

During the first Kyoto Protocol period (2008-2012) the carbon market evolved globally as well as Brazil. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, which promote technology substitution in order to obtain “cleaner” processes, had an expressive participation. Within this scenario, Brazil and mainly China applied a considerable number of projects. However, in the case of REDD (Reduction from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and REDD+, the complexity of discussions regarding legal issues, carbon reduction/mitigation methodologies, complexity around methodologies, resources distribution, costs, etc., associated with the world economic crisis, slowed down this process. Reflection of that can be seen through the carbon allowance price deterioration resulting in the prediction of retraction in the 2012 market size. In this sense, the scenario after the first period of the Kyoto’s Protocol, presents many challenges, but also presents opportunities. Legislations are emerging from different parts of the globe and also in Brazil. They indicate the nucleation of future obligations around the control and reduction of GHG emissions. Also, efforts to increase carbon allowances quotations are also being planned. Bilateral agreements are emerging being bottom-up alternatives for a global carbon commercialization scheme. On top of these actions an agreement to the creation of a billionaire fund until 2020 create great expectations around the development and growth of the carbon markets presenting the sustainability issue as an unquestionable trend to the upcoming years.

The United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took effect as a treaty in 1994 to promote international cooperation in the fight against global warming. Currently, nearly 190 countries are... Show More

The United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took effect as a treaty in 1994 to promote international cooperation in the fight against global warming. Currently, nearly 190 countries are signatories of the UNFCCC, which has had successive additions as the Kyoto Protocol (1997). In 1995, the Climate Technology Initiative was established within the UNFCCC to encourage international cooperation in the accelerated development and diffusion of environmentally Sound Technologies - EST. Such technologies are also capable of protection provided by patents, and this kind of protection is a valuable tool for the industrial production inventions to become a worthwhile investment, contributing to economic development. Many patent applications claim advantages relative to efficiency, waste reduction, or even the costs of operation/manufacturing. However, the difficulty of accurately distinguishing the EST’s technologies among others, which are those that only claim environmental benefits, compared to those who actually have a higher potential to promote a more positive impact on the environment directed. This study aims to report some performance initiatives in relations between technologies, focusing on the so-called “GREEN”, and the effects of climate change. Some initiatives have already been started in countries such as Australia, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Israel. These nations are constituted in the form of their industrial property offices, as entities that have implemented regulations regarding the patentability of requests for green technologies or EST’s such requests are known as “green patents” applications. In this context, it is highlighted that the definition of “green patents” differs from country to country and this leads to greater uncertainty in this designation, with the codes of the International Patent Classification (IPC) should be prioritized. This study observed that, in the case of South Korea, green patents are technologies classified in accordance with the interests of the Government, or, according to designations of environmental laws. Moreover, it still shows that South Korea, Australia, United States, Japan, Israel already have programs to promote accelerated examination of “green patents” applications with different criteria.

The unique biodiversity of the Sundarbans is threatened by a number of factors, many of which are the direct or indirect result of market failures. Past governmental interventions aiming at... Show More

The unique biodiversity of the Sundarbans is threatened by a number of factors, many of which are the direct or indirect result of market failures. Past governmental interventions aiming at protecting biodiversity have been ineffective, while other government efforts have directly or indirectly led to ecosystem degradation. In order to address these challenges, new governmental interventions are needed, particularly those that have the potential to mitigate market failures and address policy failures. This paper discusses how institutional and market failures, particularly the failure to capture the value of biodiversity as a 'public good', are the key drivers of biodiversity loss in the Sundarbans region of India. It argues that policy interventions to address these failures, as well as other measures that foster the development of markets that recognize the economic value of biodiversity, are a crucial tool for conserving and promoting the sustainable use of the Sundarbans' biodiversity. After describing the study area, a novel integrative development model, the potential for sustainable provision of private, public goods, and ecosystem services and the factors threatening them, the paper concludes with four policy suggestions that may assist in enabling biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the Sundarbans.

This paper looks at contemporary developments and some of the social and political phenomena that have affected the status of the gap in compensation between women and men generally, and in the... Show More

This paper looks at contemporary developments and some of the social and political phenomena that have affected the status of the gap in compensation between women and men generally, and in the fields of law and healthcare specifically. It examines not only progress to date, but also how this progress has been obtained and, based on both domestic and international experiences, provides recommendations for the future.