Rio+10: Agenda 21, Energy and Development

Enrique Ortega

Food Engineering School

State University of Campinas

Brazil

www.unicamp.br/fea/ortega

Porto Venere

28/09/2002

Johannesburg Summit (Rio+10):

• The Summit confirms 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 not to ask the motives of failure?

• Why to maintain the same proposals!

• Why not to recover the spirit that led to Rio 92!

• Let us discuss the concept of Development in ecological terms!

Energy, Ecology and Development

Observation 1: Nature works in cycles of production and consumption! Development concept changes along the cycle!

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

Agenda 21: Change of development paradigm

Proposal: We must change the paradigm of quantitative

growth to qualified human progress.

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!

Agenda 21: Suggestions for concerned energy scientists

Suggestion 1: Start between us, collaboration North – South to support interesting ecological and social development projects in both hemispheres.

Suggestion 2: Do first interactions to promote fair prices and debt elimination.

Suggestion 3: Exchange results of these experiences in next Advances in Energy Studies Workshop.

First observation

Nature works in cycles of production and consumption! What we call “Development” is the part of consumption of those cycles.

Renewableenergy

resources

Plants and algaeof ecosystems

Mineralresources

Water Soil Biomass

Trophicchain

Residues Decom-posers

Energy and mass cyclein 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.

Renewableenergies

Ecosystems(plants & algae)

Mineralresources

Water Soilorganicmatter

Local Bio-diversity

Energy and masscycle of an ecosystem

Degraded energy

Production, stocks e 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.

Renewableenergies

Natural &antropic ecosystems

Mineralresources

Stocks:biota, atmosphere,

population and humaninfra-struture

Energy and masscycle in an ecosystem

Degraded energy

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

Phos-phorous

Organicmatter

Oxigen

Carbondioxide

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.

5. Stocks, internal cycles, inputs and outputs.

Renewableenergies

Energy and mass cycle ofan agrarian ecosystem

Forests

Mineralresources

Agriculture

Mineralresources

Riparian vegetation Wetlands

Mineralresources

Local Bio-diversity

Local Bio-diversity

Local Bio-diversity

recycling

recycling

product

product

product

Nonrenewableenergies

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.

6. Micro-economics window.

Sistemaeconômico

humano

produtos(estoques)

culturaorganizada

infra-estrutura

residuos tratamento Resíduos

Energiasbásicas

águasolo

biomassabiodiversidade

atmosfera

minerais extraídos

recursos fósseis

reciclagem interações sócio-econômicas

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.

7. The economic system within the Biosphere system.

EcossistemasSol

recursosminerais

gáslíquido

sólido

soloágua

biomassa

recursosminerais

recursosfósseis

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.

Energiasrenováveis

Produtores

Q1

Q2

Sistema natural, alta diversidade e complexidade.

Tempo

Esto

qu

es

Q1 Q2

Ciclos de produção lenta e consumo rápido.

produção consumo

8. 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.

Energiasrenováveis

Produtores

Q1

Q2

sistema natural, complexo com ação humana

Tempo

Esto

ques

Q1Q2

Gráfico 2

Diagrama 2

NutrientesMateriaisrenováveis

reciclagem

9. 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).

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

Energiasrenováveis Produtores

Q1

Q2

Sistema predominantemente humano, baseado em recursos fósseis,complexo, não sustentável.

NutrientesMateriaisrenováveis

Resíduos

Recursos nãorenováveis

Tempo

Esto

qu

es

Prosperous way down

Blade runner future

10. Macro-oscillation petroleum oil - mankind.

In this diagram we can see a much more 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.

Agenda 21: Energy and Development

To face the global diminution of energy stocks and the increase of population, pollution, poverty and the destruction of biodiversity and culture we must take immediate actions to humanize the Earth!

We must change the paradigm of quantitative growth to qualified human progress.

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

sistemas demúltiplasfunções

trat.reuso

M+S1

treat.reuso

M+S2

trat.reuso

M+S3 M+S4

trat.reuso

M+S5

trabalhohumano

Reciclagem

Sistema urbanoconsumidor

processamentode produtoscriação animalprodução vegetal

sistema rural

Água e outros recursosambientais

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

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

13. Ecological systems with short chains and closed circuits

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

M+S1 M+S3

M+S4

Porcos

M+S7

M+S6

Sistemaconsumidor

engorda deanimais

extração deóleo

produçãode soja

siitema rural

EIR= M+S = 40 I I

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

M+S2

sistemaurbano

M+S5

processamentoe distribuição

M+S

óleo

refinação deóleo

M+S

óleo

produtosderivados de

óleo

tratamento deágua e

resíduos

Resíduossistemaurbano

M+Sa

extração

M+Sb

processamento

Ecossistemas

M+Sc

tratamento deresíduos

águaar

14. Intensive systems where consumption is far away production.

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

16. Alternatives emergy/energy comparison.

Processoeconômico

Processoalternativo

Recursos nãorenováveis locais

Recursosrenováveis

locais

Ecossistema

F2

Y2

N2

R2

R

N

Y

} F

ServiçosS

Recursoscomprados

M

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:

Interact to promote fair prices and debt elimination process.

$

$

Preço

Preço

País central

País periférico

Materias primas

Produtos industriais

Controle central dos preços:estabelecimento unidirecionaldas relações de intercâmbio

Recursosmonetários

Recursos monetários

Pouca ou nula participação daperiferia na discussão de preços.

24. Richness flow through prices and interest fixing control

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.

19. Richness go to industry and commerce.

0

20

40

60

80

100

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 19901980

%

Parcela de comercialização

Custos de produção

Parcela do produtor

The income of farmers are diminishing and the profit of traders growing.

20. The energy from oil makes the raw materials prices decrease.

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

Resultado do programa de simulação do modelo mini-mundo, umaversão atualizada do modelo do sistema que usa, ao mesmo tempo,

recursos: renováveis e não renováveis (Odum, 2000).

Recursosrenováveis

Reserva derecursos nãorenováveis

Bens

Mundo

ProdutoNacional

Bruto

Produção

Bens

Reservas deRecursos

Taxa máxima de produção

$ CirculanteProdução

Preços =

Tempo

$

combustíveise minerais

fontesrenováveis de

energiaconsumidor

$ dinheiro

resíduos

trabalho demanutenção

agricultura e plantações florestais

Florestas Alagados

Albedo

23. Preserved ecosystems have an important role in recycling.

The quality of wastes recycled is important.

Final suggestion

To exchange our results of these experiences of collaboration North-South in next congress

…. in any southern country!

….. perhaps Brazil.