The economics of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean: Paradoxes and challenges of sustainable development

The robust growth of Latin American and Caribbean economies in recent years has led to an improvement in economic and social conditions in the region. It has also had collateral negative effects, however, such as more air pollution in urban areas and a serious deterioration of various natural assets, including non-renewable resources, water resources and forests. There are economies and societies within the region that are highly vulnerable to all sorts of adverse impacts of climate change, and whose production structures and consumption patterns still tend to leave a large carbon footprint. This situation has reached the point of undermining the foundations of the region���s economic buoyancy. Latin America and the Caribbean therefore needs to make the transition in the years to come towards a sustainable form of development that will preserve its economic, social and natural assets for future generations and leave them with a legacy of a more equal, more socially inclusive, low-carbon form of economic growth. Viewed from this standpoint, the climate change challenge is also a sustainable development challenge, and if it is to be addressed successfully, a global consensus that recognizes the asymmetries and paradoxes of the problem will have to be reached..

The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recovery of employment: towards a sustainable model

The adverse effects on Latin America and the Caribbean of the global economic and financial crisis, the worst since the 1930s, have been considerably less than was once feared. Although a run of growth was cut short in 2009 and regional output shrank by 1.9%, the impact of the crisis was limited by the application of countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies by many of the region���s governments. The recovery in the economies, particularly in South America, has gone hand-in-hand with the rapid resurgence of the emerging economies of Asia, with all the favourable consequences this has had for global trade. A similar pattern may be observed regarding the impact of the crisis on labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although millions of people lost their jobs or had to trade down to lower-quality work, levels of employment (including formal employment) fell by less than originally foreseen. At the same time, real wages rose slightly in a context of falling inflation. The labour market thus stabilized domestic demand, and this contributed to the recovery that began in many countries in late 2009. Improved international trade and financing conditions, and the pick-up in domestic demand driven by macroeconomic policies, have led different commentators to estimate growth in the region���s economy at some 6% in 2010. As detailed in the first part of this edition of the Bulletin, the upturn has been manifested at the regional level by the creation of formal employment, a rise in the employment rate, a decline in joblessness and a moderate increase in real wages. Specifically, it is estimatedthat the regional unemployment rate will have dropped by 0.6 percentage points, from 8.1% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2010. The performance of different countries and subregions has been very uneven, however. On the one hand, there is Brazil, where high economic growth has been accompanied by vigorous creation of formal jobs and the unemployment rate has dropped to levels not seen in a long time. Other countries in South America have benefited from strong demand for natural resources from the Asian countries. Combined with higher domestic demand, this has raised their economic growth rates and had a positive impact on employment indicators. On the other hand, the recovery is still very weak in certain countries and subregions, particularly in the Caribbean, with employment indicators continuing to worsen.Thus, the recovery in the region���s economy in 2010 may be characterized as dynamic but uneven. Growth estimates for 2011 are less favourable. The risks associated with the imbalances in the world economy and the withdrawal of countercyclical fiscal packages are likely to cause the region to grow more slowly in 2011. Accordingly, a small further reduction of between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points in the unemployment rate is projected for 2011. However, these indicators of recovery do not guarantee growth with decent work in the long term. To bolster the improvement in labour market indicators and generate more productive employment and decent work, the region���s countries need to strengthen their macroeconomic policies, improve regional and global policy coordination, identify and remove bottlenecks in the labour market itself and enhance instruments designed to promote greater equality. Like the rest of the world, the Latin American and Caribbean region is also confronted with the challenge of transforming the way it produces so that its economies can develop along tracks that are sustainable in the long term. Climate change and the consequent challenge of developing and strengthening low-carbon production and consumption patterns will also affect the way people work. A great challenge ahead is to create green jobs that combine decent work with environmentally sustainable production patterns. From this perspective, the second part of this Bulletin discusses the green jobs approach, offering some information on the challenges and opportunities involved in moving towards a sustainable economy in the region and presenting a set of options for addressing environmental issues and the repercussions of climate change in the world of work. Although the debate about the green jobs concept is fairly new in the region, examples already exist and a number of countries have moved ahead with the application of policies and programmes in this area. Costa Rica has formulated a National Climate Change Strategy, for example, whose foremost achievements include professional training in natural-resource management. In Brazil, fuel production from biomass has increased and social housing with solar panelling is being built. A number of other countries in the region are making progress in areas such as ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and infrastructure for climate change adaptation, and in formalizing the work of people who recycle household waste. The shift towards a more environmentally sustainable economy may cause jobs to be destroyed in some economic sectors and created in others. The working world will inevitably undergo major changes. If the issue is approached by way of social dialogue and appropriate public policies, there is a chance to use this shift to create more decent jobs, thereby contributing to growth in the economy, the construction of higher levels of equality and protection for the environment.

Horizons 2030: Equality at the centre of sustainable development. Summary

The world is living a change of era. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals represent the international community���s response to the economic, distributive and environmental imbalances built up under the prevailing development pattern. This document, presented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to its member States at its thirty-sixth session, provides an analytical complement to the 2030 Agenda from a structuralist perspective and from the point of view of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. The proposals made here stem from the need to achieve progressive structural change in order to incorporate more knowledge into production, ensure social inclusion and combat the negative impacts of climate change. The reflections and proposals for advancing towards a new development pattern are geared to achieving equality and environmental sustainability. In these proposals, the creation of global and regional public goods and the corresponding domestic policies form the core for expanding the structuralist tradition towards a global Keynesianism and a development strategy centred around an environmental big push.

Horizons 2030: Equality at the centre of sustainable development

The world is living a change of era. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals represent the international community���s response to the economic, distributive and environmental imbalances built up under the prevailing development pattern. This document, presented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to its member States at its thirty-sixth session, provides an analytical complement to the 2030 Agenda from a structuralist perspective and from the point of view of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. The proposals made here stem from the need to achieve progressive structural change in order to incorporate more knowledge into production, ensure social inclusion and combat the negative impacts of climate change. The reflections and proposals for advancing towards a new development pattern are geared to achieving equality and environmental sustainability. In these proposals, the creation of global and regional public goods and the corresponding domestic policies form the core for expanding the structuralist tradition towards a global Keynesianism and a development strategy centred around an environmental big push.

Complexos de inclus��o de anfotericina B com derivados de ciclodextrinas e sua incorpora����o em microemuls��es lip��dicas biocompat��veis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient��fico e Tecnol��gico (CNPq)

Constru����o de pol��ticas p��blicas de educa����o ambiental em Bel��m do Par�� de 1997-2004

Esta disserta����o aborda a tem��tica Educa����o Ambiental para Sustentabilidade, procurando analisar na constru����o do Programa de Educa����o Ambiental para Bel��m (PEAMB), do per��odo de 1997 a 2004, rela����es, processos e conte��dos que caracterizem o desdobramento de pol��ticas p��blicas educacionais em rela����o ��s pol��ticas internacionais, nacionais e estaduais. A investiga����o sociol��gica procurou seguir uma postura interdisciplinar e uma perspectiva dial��tica para apreender o objeto investigado por meio de revis��o bibliogr��fica e pesquisa documental. Nessa perspectiva, foram contextualizadas, definidas e qualificadas categorias de refer��ncia para an��lise, a saber: Estado ampliado, pol��ticas p��blicas, Educa����o Ambiental transformadora e emancipat��ria; sustentabilidade socioambiental. A Pesquisa documental envolveu o levantamento, a sele����o, a coleta, o tratamento e a an��lise de tratados, legisla����es, planos, programas, projetos e relat��rios constru��dos no ��mbito internacional, nacional (do Brasil), estadual (do Par��) e municipal (de Bel��m-PA). Os dados constantes nos documentos foram investigados por meio da t��cnica da an��lise do discurso, considerando aspectos ling����sticos, sociol��gicos, pol��ticos e psicol��gicos do dito e do n��o dito pelos sujeitos, facilitando a compreens��o sobre o teor de conte��dos, inten����es e ideologias. Os resultados da pesquisa foram organizados em quatro cap��tulos: 1. Introdu����o; 2. A Educa����o Ambiental no contexto das reformas; 3. Configurando a Educa����o Ambiental em Bel��m: a����o e emo����o; 4. Considera����es finais: horizontes e perspectivas da Educa����o Ambiental em Bel��m. A an��lise leva a perceber que em Bel��m o processo de defini����o do Sistema Municipal de Educa����o Ambiental e do PEAMB, indica uma preocupa����o com os problemas atuais de insustentabilidade e procura concretizar acordos internacionais, bem como determina����es nacionais, estaduais e locais que orientem a����es de forma qualificadas e comprometidas com a sustentabilidade socioambiental, tendo como refer��ncia central o Tratado de Educa����o Ambiental para Sociedades Sustent��veis e Responsabilidade Global, proposto por Sociedades Civis Organizadas de v��rios pa��ses durante a ECO/92 e reafirmado pelo Governo Federal brasileiro, no Programa Nacional de Educa����o Ambiental, em 2005. Integra����o, participa����o popular e controle social foram elementos centrais identificados no complexo processo de constru����o do PEAMB, que envolveu ac��mulos, confrontos e consensos entre a sociedade pol��tica e a sociedade civil, tornando peculiar e importante a experi��ncia analisada, durante a gest��o de um Governo de esquerda.

Avalia����o de substratos org��nicos no cultivo de orqu��deas nativas da APA ilha do Combu, Bel��m, Par��, Brasil

As fibras naturais vem se destacando no cultivo de orqu��deas, entre elas a fibra do coco �� a mais promissora. Entretanto, existem outros res��duos org��nicos naturais que podem usados no cultivo. Foi realizado um estudo na ��rea de Prote����o Ambiental Ilha do Combu, localizada no munic��pio de Bel��m, com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos de substratos org��nicos no cultivo de orqu��deas. As orqu��deas selecionadas foram Brassia chloroleuca Barb.Rodr. e Sobralia macrophylla Rchb f. ambas nativas da APA. Entre os substratos testados, incluiu-se produto do aproveitamento do a��a��, a palmeira mais freq��ente na ilha. As orqu��deas foram submetidas a quatro substratos considerados como tratamentos (T1 - fibra do caule do a��aizeiro; T2 - fibra do coco; T3 - sementes do a��aizeiro e T4 - serragem). O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com 4 tratamentos e 4 repeti����es (10 indiv��duos/repeti����o). Os par��metros avaliados foram: o di��metro, o comprimento, o n��mero de brota����es, n��mero de folhas e Taxa de Sobreviv��ncia para pseudobulbos de Brassia chloroleuca e para rebrota����es de Sobralia macrophylla. Os dados foram inseridos em planilhas do Programa Bioestat 5.0. e submetidos �� an��lise de vari��ncia e as m��dias comparadas pelo teste Tuckey a 5% para avaliar o grau de signific��ncia dos efeitos dos tratamentos. Os resultados mostraram que a fibra do caule do a��a�� promoveu o melhor desenvolvimento das estruturas vegetativas seguida da serragem em pseudobulbos de B. chloroleuca e para S. macrophylla a fibra do caule e a semente do a��a�� promoveram o maior desenvolvimento vegetativo. Conclui-se que a fibra do caule do a��aizeiro pode ser utilizada no cultivo das esp��cies com aproveitamento sustent��vel e ecol��gico ap��s o corte do palmito do a��aizeiro.

Planting coconuts in Indian villages: ethnoecological aspects and evaluation of a "sustainable development" project

Apesar de cientistas e tomadores de decis��o abra��arem o conceito geral de "desenvolvimento sustent��vel", h�� pouco acordo sobre como se atingir esta meta em situa����es espec��ficas. Assim, projetos de desenvolvimento sustent��vel s��o amplamente criticados por etno-cientistas quanto �� forma como s��o inter-culturalmente formulados. Aqui reportamos um caso controverso de plantio de coco-da-Bahia em aldeias Kayap�� do sul do Par��, e fazemos a nossa autocr��tica. N��s partimos da premissa de que o reflorestamento e o estado geral de sa��de/nutri����o caminham lado a lado. Portanto, o desenvolvimento da cultura de cocos por si s�� deve contribuir para a conserva����o da floresta no longo prazo e, simultaneamente, contribuir para o bom estado nutricional do povo Kayap�� que protege a floresta da amea��a de pr��ticas n��o-sustent��veis. N��s buscamos descobrir como que o comportamento dos Kayap�� afeta o desenvolvimento da cultura de cocos quando amparada com suporte externo. N��s apresentamos resultados de duas viagens de campo para a terra Kayap��, onde detectamos fatores s��cio-ecol��gicos relevantes para o sucesso de nosso projeto de apoio �� cultura de coqueiros nas aldeias ind��genas. Primeiro, em novembro de 2007, n��s visitamos as aldeias Kikretum, Moikarak�� e Aukre (dentre 10 aldeias que receberam mudas de coqueiros de nosso programa de apoio) para entregar um segundo carregamento de mudas de coqueiro (o primeiro carregamento aconteceu em abril de 2006). E descrevemos quantitativamente um aspecto do comportamento dos dispersores de sementes de coco (os Kayap��). Especificamente, como as palmeiras pr��-existentes nas aldeias s��o distribu��das dentre as fam��lias dos ��ndios e como este carregamento sobreviveu a fatores etno-ecol��gicos. Segundo, em julho de 2008 n��s visitamos as aldeias Kokraimoro e Pykararankre e estimamos a posi����o dos coqueiros pr��-existentes e dos novos em rela����o a outras ��rvores cultivadas, fazendo uso de censos partindo do centro das aldeias para seus limites exteriores. Nas tr��s aldeias ind��genas visitadas em 2007, virtualmente todos os coqueiros pr��-existentes pertenciam a poucas fam��lias e a distribui����o de frutos era, na maior parte dos casos, altamente concentrada dentre os membros destas fam��lias. Entretanto, assumindo que todos os coqueiros jovens que sobreviveram ao primeiro ano chegar��o �� maturidade (do primeiro carregamento em abril de 2006), eles representam um aumento consider��vel no numero projetado de coqueiros adultos nas tr��s aldeias visitadas (48, 195 e 101% em Kikretum, Moikarak�� e Aukre, respectivamente). E uma redu����o substancial na desigualdade de acesso aos cocos. Na expedi����o de 2008, encontramos que os ��ndios geralmente plantam coqueiros bem pr��ximos das suas casas onde a competi����o com outras ��rvores cultivadas podem limitar o desenvolvimento das palmeiras.

Estrutura molecular e citogen��tica de cromossomos B em Astyanax paranae (Characiformes, Characidae)

P��s-gradua����o em Ci��ncias Biol��gicas (Gen��tica) - IBB

Desenvolvimento e aplica����o da instrumenta����o virtual na unidade m��vel de ensaios na barra de tra����o - UMEB

P��s-gradua����o em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Emergy diagnosis and reflections towards Brazilian sustainable development

This paper presents an environmental emergy-based diagnosis of Brazil compared with Russia, India, China, South Africa and United States. Reflections on the Brazilian sustainable development are presented and discussed based on the evaluations published since 1979. The variation of the emergy per capita for Brazil from 1979 to 2007 indicates that the country's growth is tied to the exploitation of non renewable natural resources which do not directly reflect in the welfare of the population. The total emergy exported per unit of gross domestic product increased in the period, suggesting that the country exports more emergy than that contained in the money received for the exportation. With the help of the emergy indices, the future development of Brazil is explored and discussed. The comparison among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries and United States indicates that what may be appropriate and usable within one country may not be within another and that to achieve the global sustainability two concomitant actions may occur: (i) the reduction of the total emergy use in developed economies, and (ii) the reduction of indigenous resources exportation in developing economies. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cleaner Production initiatives and challenges for a sustainable world: an introduction to this special volume

This special volume of the Journal of Cleaner Production is comprised of articles presented at the 3rd International Workshop Advances in Cleaner Production held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. The content underscores the recognition of the pressing and inescapable need for making changes from unsustainable to sustainable production and consumption patterns. The 48 articles from 15 countries provide different, but complimentary approaches to help industrial and societal sectors in advancing on their paths towards sustainability. Initiatives and challenges are included, which systematically address problems affecting raw material changes, technological modifications, product and policy changes. The findings range from proposals for alternative uses of wastes, substitution of raw materials for environmentally friendlier substances, optimization of industrial processes by source reductions of wastes and emissions and documented economic and environmental advantages of a wide array of initiatives. The roles of operational and managerial practices are also stressed, highlighting the role of diverse stakeholders as promoters of implementation and internalization of innovative cleaner technologies within companies. Systemic assessment tools are employed and experimented with in order to more effectively evaluate the environmental performance of systems on the biosphere scale. The methodological procedures and proposals presented can help in the design and management of production systems, for governmental and corporate policy development, for implementing and monitoring CP Programs, prevention and mitigation strategies, and evaluation of the outcomes of CP initiatives in the production and service sectors. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable worm control practices in South America

A high prevalence of nematodes, especially Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis, that exhibit multiple anthelmintics resistance has been reported in sheep in several South American countries. For this reason, the development of strategies that are less dependent on anthelmintic treatments is imperative for the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal nematode infections in small ruminants. Integrated grazing using cattle and sheep can be used for pasture decontamination with considerable reduction of H. contortus and T. colubnformis infective larvae after cattle grazing. Several breeds of sheep exhibit genetically related resistance against nematode infections, as is the case of crioulo, native or naturalised breeds of sheep. These breeds descend from livestock introduced by Portuguese and Spanish settlers and have been submitted to a long process of natural selection in various environmental conditions. In the South, the Crioula Lanada breed is more resistant to H. contortus than are Corriedale sheep. In tropical areas, where the minimum temperatures are usually higher than 20 degrees C, hair sheep flourish, especially the Santa Ines breed, which also display a higher level of resistance to nematode infections compared with certain breeds of European origin. However, Santa Ines sheep have inferior carcass quality compared with other commercial breeds. Recent studies showed that the crossbreeding of Santa Ines ewes with sires of breeds with high potential for growth and meat production, results in crossbred animals with high productivity and a satisfactory degree of resistance against nematode infections. Several studies have indicated that improvement in nutrition has a beneficial effect on the development of resistance in lambs that were naturally or artificially infected with nematodes. Therefore, supplementary feeding and breeding strategies to improve resistance to nematodes are feasible options in the effort to reduce dependence on anthelmintic drugs to control worm infections in sheep. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of in vitro sperm characteristics and their importance in the prediction of conception rate in a bovine timed-AI program

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

How does tourist monitoring alter fish behavior in underwater trails?

Nature based tourism is becoming more popular because it is perceived as a solution to the conflict between conservation and economic exploitation. Nevertheless, it is known to cause several effects. This paper reports findings whereby monitored tourism avoids triggering adverse effects for social cichlid fish species, Crenicichla lepidota. Measures used included aggression toward territorial intruders and the number of nests built in pristine reference areas for monitored and in non-monitored tourist areas. We observed suppressed aggressive behavior and suppressed nesting only in the non-monitored area. We conclude that by monitoring visits, and using techniques including avoiding stepping on the river bed, reducing the number of visitors, prohibiting fish feeding and protecting riparian vegetation, it is possible to avoid the enduring damage caused by nature tourism. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.