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

1. Agenda 21 and Rio+10: a frameworkto discuss Energy and Development Enrique Ortega Food Engineering School State University of Campinas Brazil www.unicamp.br/fea/ortega Loccum6/11/2002

2. 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.

3. 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!

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Nutrients cycle in a ecosystem. The nutrients in a natural ecosystem are recycled by consumers.

11. Stocks, internal cycles, inputs and outputs. 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.

12. 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.

13. Micro-economics 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.

14. The economic system within the Biosphere system. 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.

15. Agenda 21: Change of development paradigm 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! It is time for collaboration for qualified human progress instead of war (excluding competition).

16. 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.

17. Q Q 1 2 consumers producers 3 3 3 3 2 2 4 2 4 4 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 Occur several situations within cycles: Stocks Time Slow producers and rapid consumers 1. adaptation or recovering; 2. increase of growth (“development”); 3. decrease of growth(due to resources diminution); 4. senescence(adjustment to low resources); As you can see Nature show repeated cycles of production and consumption

18. 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).

19. 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.

20. 100 millions of brazilians in the last 40 years. Slumps Fossil fuels Minerals Electricity Energy intensive industrial technology modifies rural systens diminishing biodiversity and producing rural exodus. Industries People People Urban systens Rural systens Europe Chemical product Machinery rafined oil People Industries People Urban systens Rural systens Colonized countries Fossil fuels Minerals Electricity Industries People Urban systens Rural systens United States

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

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

23. Ecological systems with short chains and recycling (closed circuits) The city (consumer) is close to farmer (producer) and recycling is possible

24. 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.

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

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

27. 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.

28. Rural richness is flowing to industry and commerce. The income of farmers is diminishing and, on the other hand, the profit of industry and commodities traders is growing.

29. 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.

30. Preserved ecosystems have an important role in recycling. The quality of wastes recycled is important.

31. Present situation Fossil fuel Brazil dependent Nutrients Energy Germany dependent Non–Recycled wastes

32. Future situation Sustainable Brazil: ruralization, recycling, biodiversity, jobs. Sustainable Germany: ruralization, recycling, biodiversity, jobs.

33. No tillage/herbicide/GMO Petroleum (Fossil fuels) Chemical agriculture with intensitive use of machinery Natural resources (biodiversity) Organic enterprises Traditional Ecological farn Family managed Human population 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

34. 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.