Agenda 21 and Rio+10: a framework to discuss Energy and Development

Enrique Ortega

Food Engineering School

State University of Campinas

Brazil

www.unicamp.br/fea/ortega

Loccum6/11/2002

Johannesburg Summit (Rio+10):

• Reaffirms Agenda 21 commitments;• Considers international collaboration, through

partnerships, as the main form to implement Agenda 21;

• Manifest the need to support poor farmers access to productive resources;

• But, in the other way, in contradiction with the majority of its recommendations, suggest that the enlargement of trade and the opening of frontiers are the basic and necessary procedures to obtain Sustainable Development.

Rio+10: discussion

•Why were not questioned the reasons of failure of Agenda 21 implementation?

• Is it convenient to maintain the same proposals and procedures?

•Why not recover the spirit that led to Rio 92? •Let´s discuss the concept of Development in ecological terms, with a broad scope!

Energy, Ecology and Development

Observation 1: Nature works in cycles of production and consumption and recycling! Each stage of the cycle has is own characteristics!

Observation 2:The micro-economy vision does not show the connection of anthropic systems with biosphere.

Agenda 21: Suggestions for scientists

1. Change paradigm of war to peace.

2. Start collaboration to support interesting ecological and social development projects in both hemispheres.

3. The interactions will help to discuss fair prices and debt elimination process.

4. Exchange results of these experiences in Workshops.

First observation

Nature works always in cycles! These cycles are composed by stages of production, consumption and recycling.

What we call now as “development” corresponds to a huge human consumption process of accumulated stocks that took a lot of time to be produced.

Renewable energy

resources

Plants and algae of ecosystems

Mineral resources

Water Soil Biomass

Trophic chain

Residues Decom-posers

Energy and mass cycle in an ecosystem

Degraded energy

Just to remember how the trophic chain works. The producer uses the nature resources for its own benefit and also delivers stocks of improved energy to be used by different consumers, the wastes are recycled by decomposers.

Renewable energies

Ecosystems(plants & algae)

Mineral resources

Water Soilorganic matter

Local Bio-diversity

Energy and mass cycle of an ecosystem

Degraded energy

Production, stocks, consumption and recycling.

Now we see the diagram in a more simplified form. In a natural system almost all the matter is recycled and there are not material wastes. The trophic chain can be seen as a stock of biodiversity.

Renewable energies

Natural & antropic

ecosystems

Mineral resources

Stocks:biota, atmosphere,

population and human infra-struture

Energy and mass cycle in an ecosystem

Degraded energy

Resumed diagram: Energy and Matter produce Work.This is a more simplified energy flows diagram of a ecosystem, where nature resources interact with local biodiversity, that makes retribution to nature services.

Phos-phorous

Organic matter

Oxigen

Carbon dioxide

Water

Sun

Wind

Rain Rocks

Consumers Plants

Recycling

Run-off and seepage

Nutrients cycle in a ecosystem.

The nutrients in a natural ecosystem are recycled by consumers.

Stocks, internal cycles, inputs and outputs.

Renewable energies

Energy and mass cycle of an agrarian ecosystem

Forests

Mineral resources

Agriculture

Mineral resources

Riparian vegetation Wetlands

Mineral resources

Local Bio-diversity

Local Bio-diversity

Local Bio-diversity

recycling

recycling

product

product

product

Non renewable energies

Example of a ecosystem with human intervention.

The forests deliver raw materials and services to agriculture.

Agriculture interacts with wetlands and riparian vegetation.

Internal recycling exists.

All the systems delivers several kind of outputs to other ecosystems.

Second observation

The micro-economy vision does not show the connection of anthropic systems with biosphere and, also, it doesnt make evident the nature´s cycles.

Micro-economics window.

Human economic

system

stocksculture

infra-structure

wastes treatment Losses

Basic energes

watersoil

biomassbiodiversity

atmosphere minerals mining

fossil fuels

recycling Economic interactions

Micro-economy window

$

The perception of micro economics is very limited, it ignores many flows of resources, their origins and the costs of their production. Besides that, ignores the value of recycling and does not know what to do with wastes.

The economic system within the Biosphere system.

Ecossystens

Sun, Moon, Earthcenter

mineral resources

soilwater

biomass

mineralsfossil fuels

solid, liquid and gaseous flows

Biosphere window

The ecosystem makes slowly several energy stocks that become resources to economy. The economic system uses in few time what took many years for nature to produce (biodiversity, oil). Besides that the materials are depleted and the effect of aggressive feedback is negative to atmosphere.

Agenda 21: Change of development paradigm

It is time for collaboration for qualified human progress instead of war (excluding competition).

To face the global diminution of energy resources (water, oil, electricity, arable land, ozone layer) and the increase of population, pollution, poverty and the destruction of biodiversity and culture we must take immediate actions to humanize the Earth!

Renewableenergies

Producers

Q1

Q2

Natural system with high diversity and complexity

Time

Stoc

ks Q1 Q2

Slow producers and rapid consumers

producers consumers

The producer – consumer system shows cyclic oscillations.

The oscillations occur due the different times of the phenomena involved. The production is usually slow and the consumption can be very rapid.

The nutrients decrease during production an become a limiting factor. The consumption returns the nutrients to the system.

When the biomass decreases the consumers can retreat, change of area or hibernate.

The cycle repeats with a rhythmic frequency.

Time

Stoc

ks

Slow producers and rapid consumers

1Q

producersQ2

consumers

1. adaptation or recovering;2. increase of growth (“development”);

Occur several situations within cycles:

3. decrease of growth (due to resources diminution); 4. senescence (adjustment to low resources);

2 22 2

3 33 3

4 44 4

1 1 11 1 1

As you can see Nature show repeated cycles of production and consumption

Renewableenergies

Producers

Q1

Q2

Complex natural system with human action

Time

Stoc

ks

Q1 Q2

NutrientsRenewable resources

recycling

Natural and anthropic systems evolve.

Here we can see a system with human intervention.The oscillation can increase until a certain maximum disequilibria is attained, after that the cycles can diminish (Mayan Empires) or population can extinguish (Eastern Island).

Sequence: 1. adaptation;2. increase of growth; 3. decrease of growth (due to resources diminution);4. senescence(adjustment to low resources); ....1. recovering (or adaptation).

Renewable energies

Producers

Q1

Q2

Social desaggregation human adjust to scarcity of resources

NutrientsRenewable resources

Wastes

Non renewable resources

Time

Stoc

ks Prosperous way down

Blade runner future

Macro-oscillation petroleum oil-mankind: time for action

In this diagram we can see a much bigger oscillation that occurs when mankind learn to use several non renewable energy stocks not used before (woods, minerals, soils, charcoal, oil, gas).

But these resources are not forever they are non renewable, and the development becomes also non renewable.

The oil price is kipped low at great military, political and environmental costs in order to subsidy the industrial economy.

Rural systens

Urbansystens

People Industries

People

Fossil fuelsMineralsElectricity

Ruralsystens

Urbansystens

People

Europe

Ruralsystens

Urban systens

Fossil fuelsMineralsElectricity

United States

Industries

People

Industries

Colonized countries

People

Chemical product

Machinery rafined oil

100 millions of brazilians in the last 40 years.

Slumps

Energy intensive industrial technology modifies rural systens diminishing biodiversity and producing rural exodus.

Our dear colleague, H.T. Odum (1924-2002), proposed us to understand, discuss and help humanity to implement the best way down.

First suggestion:

Start collaboration North – South to support interesting ecological and social development projects in both hemispheres.

multiple-function systens

treat.reuse

M+S1

treat.reuse

M+S2

treat.reuse

M+S3 M+S4

treat.reuse

M+S5

humanwork

Recycling

Consumptionurban system

meat processinganimal husbandryvegetable production

rural system

Water and other enviromental resources

EIR= F = M+S = 4 I I I

R= R = 0,5 to 0,9 I+F

Ecological systems with short chains and recycling (closed circuits)

The city (consumer) is close to farmer (producer) and recycling is possible

M+S1 M+S3

M+S4

Pig

M+S7

M+S6

Consumer system

animal breeding

oil extractionsoy production

rural system

EIR= F = M+S = 40 I I I

R= R = 0,05 to 0,10 I + F

M+S2

urban system

M+S5

meat processing and distribuition

M+S

oil

oil refining

M+S

oil

oil products

water and solid residues treatment

Wastes

urban systems

M+Sa

extraction

M+Sb

processing

Ecosystens

M+Sc

residues treatment

waterair

Intensive systems where consumption is far away production.

The system cannot close its material circuits and losses productivity and develop dangerous eutrophication. Low level of a resource in one place and excess in the other.

Alternatives emergy/energy comparison.

Economic process

Alternative process

Local non renewable resources

Local renewable resources

Ecosystems

F2

Y2

N2

R2

R

N

Y

}F

Services S

Purchased material

inputs MEconomyFeedback

We can calculate the emergy indices of different options and discuss the pertinence of each one in many dimensions (social, environmental, political, ethical).

Second suggestion:

Promote North-South interactions to support good social and ecological projects both sides and calculate fair prices and discuss debt elimination.

$

$

Price

Price

Central country

Perypheric country

Raw materials

Industrial products

Control of prices by central countries using power and exclusion.

Monetary resources

Monetary resources

Nuil participation of perypheric countries in price discussion and price

fixing.

Richness flow control through price and bank rates

The central countries fix the prices of raw materials and industrial products, as well as the international interest rates. We need a new position to change these procedures.

Rural richness is flowing to industry and commerce.

0

20

40

60

80

100

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 19901980

%

Commerce parcel

Production costs

Producer parcel

years

The income of farmers is diminishing and, on the other hand, the profit of industry and commodities traders is growing.

The use of oil energy causes a decrease of prices.

The energy from petroleum let a temporary global production increase, but its cost is set down by political and military means.

Renewable Resources

Non renewable resourcereserves

Assets

WORLD

GrossEconomicProduct

Production

Assets

Resource Reserves

Maximum production rate

$ Circulating Production

Prices =

Time

$

Fuels and minerals

Renewable sources of

energyconsumer

$ money

wastes recycling

Maintainnance and control

Agriculture and tree

plantantions

Forests wetlands

Albedo

Preserved ecosystems have an important role in recycling.

The quality of wastes recycled is important.

Present situation

Brazil dependent

Germany dependent

Fossilfuel

Non–Recycled wastes

NutrientsEnergy

Future situation

Sustainable Brazil: ruralization, recycling, biodiversity, jobs.

Sustainable Germany: ruralization, recycling, biodiversity, jobs.

0

1

1

2

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Petroleum

(Fossil fuels)

Natural resources

(biodiversity)

No tillage/herbicide/GMO

Chemical agriculture with intensitive use of machinery

Organic enterprises

Human population

Traditional Ecological farn Family managed

Final suggestion

To study new proposals for ruralization because they are the must clever ideas to implement Agenda 21. Much more interesting than Kyoto Agreements!

Do not forget to establish new experiences of collaboration North-South.