From ‘Afflicted’ to Activists: Structural Violence and Climate Change Discourse in the States of Pernambuco and Paraíba in Northeast Brazil

This study approaches the problem of poverty in the hinterlands of Northeast Brazil through the concept of structural violence, linking the environmental threats posed by climate change, especially those related to droughts, to the broader social struggles in the region. When discussions about potentials and rights are incorporated into the problematic of poverty, a deeper insight is obtained regarding the various factors behind the phenomenon. It is generally believed that climate change is affecting the already marginalized and poor more than those of higher social standing, and will increasingly do so in the future. The data for this study was collected during a three month field work in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba in Northeast Brazil. The main methods used were semi-structured interviews and participant observation, including attending seminars concerning climate change on the field. The focus of the work is to compare both layman and expert perceptions on what climate change is about, and question the assumptions about its effects in the future, mainly that of increased numbers of ‘climate refugees’ or people forced to migrate due to changes in climate. The focus on droughts, as opposed to other manifestations of climate change, arises from the fact that droughts are not only phenomena that develop over a longer time span than floods or hurricanes, but is also due to the historical persistence of droughts in the region, and both the institutional and cultural linkages that have evolved around it. The instances of structural violence that are highlighted in this study; the drought industry, land use, and the social and power relations present in the region, including those between the civil society, the state and the private agribusiness sector, all work against a backdrop of symbolic and moral realms of value production, where relations between the different actors are being negotiated anew with the rise of the climate change discourse. The main theoretical framework of the study consists of Johan Galtung’s and Paul Farmer’s theory of structural violence, Ulrich Beck’s theory of the risk society, and James Scott’s theory of everyday peasant resistance.

Discharge Plasma Combined With Bauxite Residue for Biodiesel Exhaust Cleaning: A Case Study on NOx Removal

Experiments were conducted at laboratory level to treat the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) present in raw and dry biodiesel exhaust utilizing a combination of electric discharge plasma and bauxite residue, i. e., red mud, an industrial waste byproduct from the aluminum industry. In this paper, the adsorption and a possible catalytic property of bauxite residue are discussed. Nonthermal plasma was generated using dielectric barrier discharges initiated by ac/repetitive pulse energization. The effect of corona electrodes on the plasma generation was qualitatively studied through NOx cleaning. The plasma reactor and adsorbent reactors were connected in cascade while treating the exhaust. The diesel generator, running on biodiesel fuel, was electrically loaded to study the effectiveness of the cascade system in cleaning the exhaust. Interestingly, under the laboratory conditions studied, plasma-bauxite residue combination has shown good synergistic properties and enhanced the NOx removal up to about 90%. With proper scaling up, the suggested cascade system may become an economically feasible option to treat the exhaust in larger installations. The results were discussed emphasizing the role of bauxite residue as an adsorbent and as a room temperature catalyst.

Biodiesel Exhaust Treatment with Dielectric Barrier Discharges Coupled with Industrial Waste Byproducts

Biodiesel run engines are gaining popularity since the last few years as a viable alternative to conventional petro-diesel based engines. In biodiesel exhaust the content of volatile organic compounds, oil mist, and mass of particulate matter is considerably lower. However, the concentration of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) is relatively higher. In this paper the biodiesel exhaust from a stationary engine is treated under controlled laboratory conditions for removal of NOx using dielectric barrier discharge plasma in cascade with adsorbents prepared from abundantly available industrial waste byproducts like red mud and copper slag. Results were compared with gamma-alumina, a commercial adsorbent. Two different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors were tested for their effectiveness under Repetitive pulses /AC energization. NOx removal as high as 80% was achieved with pulse energized reactors when cascaded with red mud as adsorbent.

Biodiesel Exhaust Treatment with HFAC Plasma supported by Red Mud: Study on DeNOx and power consumption

The concentration of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) in engines which use biodiesel as fuel is higher compared to conventional diesel engine exhaust. In this paper, an attempt has been made to treat this exhaust using a combination of High frequency AC (HFAC) plasma and an industrial waste, Red Mud which shows proclivity towards Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) adsorption. The high frequency AC source in combination with the proposed compact double dielectric plasma reactors is relatively more efficient in converting Nitric Oxide (NO) to NO2. It has been shown that the plasma treated gas enhances the activity of red mud as an adsorbent/catalyst and about 60-72% NOx removal efficiency was observed at a specific energy of 250 J/L. The advantage in this method is the cost effectiveness and abundant availability of the waste red mud in the industry. Further, power estimation studies were carried out using Manley's equation for the two reactors employed in the experiment and a close agreement between experimental and predicted powers was observed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Produção legislativa no Brasil: visão sistêmica e estratégica no presidencialismo de coalizão

Analisa a produção legislativa no contexto do presidencialismo de coalizão, modelo de governança brasileiro. A relação entre os poderes Executivo e Legislativo foi verificada em 21 mil proposições que tramitaram no Congresso Nacional entre 1999 e 2006. Os resultados rejeitam a tese sobre o descompasso entre as agendas dos dois poderes, bem como a que aponta predominância da atuação do Executivo em todas as vias legislativas. Ademais, foram identificadas interações estratégicas marcadas pela cooperação e pelo impasse. O estudo apresenta ainda sugestões para o aperfeiçoamento do sistema de produção das leis no país.

Ações de mitigação das emissões no Brasil

Sintetiza os fatos que levaram a adoção da Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre Mudança do Clima. Descreve e analisa as iniciativas do Brasil no sentido de colaborar com a proteção climática e com a redução da emissão de gases poluentes. Destaca os seguintes pontos: desenvolvimento de matriz energética "limpa" (álcool e biodiesel); combate ao desperdício de energia elétrica; programa de redução de emissões veiculares; redução de incêndios florestais e do desmatamento; projetos ligados ao Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo.

Álcool combustível : algumas barreiras a superar

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XII - Recursos Minerais, Hídricos e Energéticos.

O biodiesel e o desenvolvimento social da Bahia

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XII - Recursos Minerais, Hídricos e Energéticos.

Biodiesel : um novo combustível para o Brasil

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XII - Recursos Minerais, Hídricos e Energéticos.

Produção legislativa nas democracias consolidadas e a eficácia da atividade propositiva

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XIX - Ciência Política, Sociologia Política, História, Relações Internacionais.

Fábrica de fertilizantes nitrogenados e produção de etanol no norte fluminense

Consultoria Legislativa - Area XII - Recursos Minerais, Hídricos e Regional.

Produção e comercialização de biocombustíveis por pequenos produtores

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XII - Recursos Minerais, Hídricos e Energéticos.

Estudo comparativo sobre produção legislativa e remuneração parlamentar em países selecionados da Europa, América do Norte e América Latina

Realiza estudo sobre a produção legislativa em países da Europa, América do Norte e América Latina. Apresenta análise comparativa sobre a transformação de projetos de lei em normas jurídicas, entre o Brasil, Estados Unidos e países de sistema parlamentarista.

Produção legislativa da Câmara dos Deputados em 2001

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XIX - Ciência Política, Sociologia Política, História, Relações Internacionais.