Bruno Milanez

Ecological modernisation beyond Western Europe: the case of Brazil

Preventative innovation is central to ecological modernisation (EM). Evaluating the role of international actors in promoting EM in middle-income countries (MICs), the authors review existing studies of EM outside Western Europe, and distinguish ‘internationally oriented’ from ‘domestically driven’ EM. Policy agreements concerning battery and tyre waste, the Cleaner Production Programme, and technological changes in the pulp and paper industry show that foreign actors play a crucial role in promoting EM in Brazil, but they also indicate that international involvement carries risks, such as institutional dependence and introduction of inappropriate technologies.

Dialogues between social and natural sciences: contribution to the debate on socio-environmental conflicts

In this article, I argue that attempting to solve real problems is a possible approach to bring social and natural sciences together, and suggest that - as Environmental Impact Assessment necessarily brings together social and environmental issues - this debate is a strong candidate for such a task. The argument is based on a general discussion about the possibilities and limitations of Environmental Impact Assessments, the social-environmental impacts of mining activities and three case studies. The analysis of the cases indicates possibilities and limitations of the dialogue between scientists from various areas - and of the collaboration with social movements and affected communities - in avoiding negative impacts of mining projects and, eventually, increasing their sustainability.

Double standards and the international trade of pesticides: the Brazilian case.

Abstract Despite bans on certain pesticides and their replacement by others considered less hazardous, the widespread use of these substances in agriculture continues to threaten the environment and the health of millions of people. This article discusses the current double standard in the international trade of pesticides and focuses on Brazil, one of the main users of pesticides in the world, analyzing the trends in foreign trade (imports and exports) of selected pesticides as a function of changes in legislation in the United States, the European Union, and Brazil from 1989 to 2006. We applied time line analysis to eight organochlorines already banned in Brazil and conducted a case-by-case qualitative and quantitative analysis of nine other pesticides. The results indicate the existence of double standards, as demonstrated by the continued exports to Brazil of some pesticides banned in the United States and Europe.

A coincineração de resíduos em fornos de cimento: riscos para a saúde e o meio ambiente

In this article we discuss the development of hazardous waste co-incineration in cement kilns in Brazil as well as its impacts on health and the environment. Information was gathered through an extensive review on social and environmental impacts of co-incineration, and case studies, chosen after discussion with social movement representatives concerned with the co-incineration issue and related to the Brazilian Network on Environmental Justice, are described to illustrate the reality of co-incineration in Brazil. Studies showed that workers and community health suffers negative impacts from such practices in high-, middle- and low-income countries. In the Brazilian context, the institutional and social vulnerability intensifies these problems. To conclude, we argue for the necessity of increasing the institutional capacity of health and environmental agencies in Brazil, through staff training and better infra-structure. Additionally, we also propose a return of the debate about political and ethical aspects of industrial waste trade.

Climate justice: framing a new discourse in Brazil

In this article, we evaluate to what extent the Climate Justice discourse has been associated by the press to extreme climate events in Brazil. The text is based on the examination of articles published by important newspapers in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, after two major rain events which produced floods and landslides in these two cities. Based on these findings, we suggest that the adoption of the Climate Change discourse in Brazil could produce three main positive outcomes: improve the discourses acceptance in the international arena, increase the chances that the claims of affected groups are heard by Brazilian government, and turn current policies designed to correct effects of extreme climate events into structural policies designed to reduce vulnerability and to adapt to Climate Change.

A Iniciativa Yasuní-ITT: uma análise a partir do Modelo de Fluxos Múltiplos

Este artigo analisa uma proposta de politica ambiental e de recursos naturais, a Iniciativa Yasuni-ITT, atraves da qual o governo do Equador renunciaria a exploracao de reservas de petroleo significativas. Objetiva discutir a iniciativa como uma inovacao na agenda de politicas publicas, atraves da construcao social da exploracao petrolifera na Amazonia equatoriana como problema publico, elaboracao de solucoes alternativas e seu reconhecimento governamental. O artigo foi baseado na aplicacao do Modelo dos Fluxos Multiplos (MFM) no processo de definicao de agenda, a partir de ampla revisao bibliografica. As informacoes referentes a Iniciativa foram coletadas, fundamentalmente, na literatura cientifica, bem como em documentos de instituicoes e organizacoes envolvidas em sua formulacao. Embora a Iniciativa nao tenha sido implementada, sua evolucao na agenda permitiu destacar os vinculos entre disputas territoriais locais e questoes economicas nacionais, a possibilidade de compensacao economica e uma moratoria da exploracao, alem de levantar questoes relativas a legitimidade politica. A articulacao desses fluxos foi possivel atraves de uma janela de politicas publicas centrada na questao climatica e por agentes como a Presidencia, empresas petroleiras, ONGs e movimentos sociais, alem de instituicoes internacionais e outros governos. As principais contribuicoes a discussao sobre politicas publicas e definicao de agenda referem-se: (1) a relevância da combinacao de discursos, neste caso morais (biodiversidade, direitos humanos e mudancas climaticas) e economicos, para a formulacao do problema; (2) a forte correlacao entre diferentes escalas (nacional e internacional) na compreensao do fluxo politico e (3) a concepcao processual dos agentes na conducao dos fluxos e janelas de politicas publicas, alterando suas capacidades relativas de exercicio de poder.