On Wednesday, June 24th, CEBDS President Marina Grossi participated in the Environmental Parliamentary Front, coordinated by Congressman Rodrigo Agostinho (PSB-SP). Adoption of a carbon market, combating illegal deforestation, the national solid waste law, and the replacement of fossil fuels with renewables were among the topics discussed in light of the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
The Environmental Parliamentary Front, comprised of representatives and civil society, aims to develop public policies that promote sustainability by addressing issues important to Brazil and that are being discussed in the National Congress. The possibility of a "green recovery" after the pandemic and how to implement it is one such topic and was a central topic of discussion.
"Brazil can use this historic moment as the beginning of a more mature discussion about how we will proceed from now on regarding sustainability. We need to look to the future, and we need it to be transformative. We can't continue consuming the planet's resources at this rate. We need to advance the sustainability agenda, even though we know this is a challenging time for all of us," declared Agostinho.
Together with the government, CEBDS worked on an agenda with 10 proposals, with the drive sustainability as a generator of competitiveness for the country. Among these points are the universalization of basic sanitation, reduction of social inequality, and changes in the criteria for incentives and financing. "If investors continue to provide the same incentives, in the same way, to the same businesses, we won't have a more resilient economy," Marina stated, giving an example. "Saving airlines or the automotive sector, as was being done, won't be more resilient. When granting subsidies to companies, the government must demand cleaner operations," she emphasized.
Marina Grossi emphasized that a paradigm shift is underway, and after the pandemic, companies will be recognized for their empathy with their consumers, supply chains, and employees. At the same time, successful business leaders will be recognized for understanding the need to accelerate trends directly linked to a greener, cleaner economy.
"This acceleration toward a greener recovery involves simplifying the sustainability narrative and translating it to different audiences. The country has resources to invest, and we saw this happening during the pandemic. Now it's time to do the same with sustainability," he said.
Another important point that must be considered in the recovery is carbon pricing. CEBDS has already developed a proposal, which was presented to the Ministry of Economy, resulting from collaboration with business leaders from various sectors of the economy. "We spent eight months discussing with leaders of companies operating in the cleanest sector, which absorbs carbon from forests, to the largest emitter, which is oil and gas. We created a methodology to price carbon per ton, which can now be implemented," stated Marina Grossi.
Carbon pricing enables product traceability and greater consumer choice. "There's a significant shift in consumer habits in post-pandemic society. With the use of technology, we'll be able to track products and know exactly their environmental impact," Marina stated. "Companies are already ready to enter this more demanding market, and Brazil has no reason to shy away from it. Large companies can boost the entire production chain by using technology, combined with biodiversity and the bioeconomy, adding value to our products. We must look to future demand and where we can grow," she concluded.
The debate also included the participation of Ricardo Abramovay, Senior Professor of the Environmental Science Program at IEE/USP, Délcio Rodrigues, Executive Director of the ClimaInfo Institute, Celina Martins Ramalho, Managing Partner of Semear Consultoria and Sérgio Leitão, founder and executive director of the Escolhas Institute.
