Green Brazil; a guide for Brazilian property owners
As the world attempts to move away from a culture of excessive fuel consumption and unsustainable lifestyles, the green credentials of countries are being thrown into sharper focus.
This is not only because of the effects of global warming but also the fact that dwindling reserves of traditional fossil fuels are pushing prices of the resources needed to power industrial nations.
People are now realising that they need to search for the solutions which will provide long-term economic benefits to a country and allow it to exist, if not thrive, in a new sustainable world economy.
How green is Brazil?
As an emerging world economy some might expect Brazil to be lagging behind in terms of its green credentials. However, this is not the case.
National Geographic compiles a yearly GreenDex Survey which analyses the consumers in a number of countries to establish how green their lifestyles are. The last report in 2009 noted that Brazil was among the best nations for environmentally-friendly practices.
It ranked second out of 17 countries – India ranked top – and consumers in Brazil were found to have good environmental credentials for housing, transport and use of goods.
The results in Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) were also promising. Brazil was said to be 63.4 per cent towards meeting the desired green targets in a number of areas.
This placed it 62nd out of 163 countries, although many nations in the South American region scored higher.
A number of bodies in the country are responsible for looking after the environmental aspects of Brazil. These include the National Council on the Environment, the National Council of the Amazon, the National Council of Water Resources, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.
Sustainable building to feature in Brazilian property market
Brazilian property investors will no doubt be thinking about the green credentials of the built environment in Brazil and how this will impact on investment potential.
The sector is overseen the by the Green Building Council (GBC) Brasil, one of 20 organisations in different countries across the globe which works with the worldwide GBC.
GBC Brasil’s aim is to encourage the adoption of green building practices in the country by using market forces.
To do this is, it plans on working with the government, Brazilian property professionals and private organisations. It also wants to get the Brazilian property market associated with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
LEED certification takes into account issues such as the energy consumption, water usage, sustainable building practices and CO2 emissions of building.
In the next five years the GBC wants sustainable building practices to be standard for all property in Brazil.
Brazilian property and renewable energy
According to the government of Brazil, the country has "one of the cleanest energy matrixes in the industrialised world". In 2009 it was in the top ten countries in the world for renewable energy investment, alongside the likes of Spain, Germany and Canada, Bloomberg reports.
At the end of last year, Brazil held its first ever wind-only energy auction. It saw 1,800 megawatts contracted from 71 wind power plants, which are scheduled to be delivered beginning July 1st 2010.
The article cited figures from the 2009 National Energy Balance report which found that 85 per cent of the country’s energy comes from renewable sources, with three-quarters derived from hydroelectric power, a figure which the Brazilian government is keen to increase.
In 2002, the authority created the Program for Incentive of Alternative Electric Energy Sources, which aims to encourage the use of wind, biomass and hydro-electric power stations, and the country has emerged as a leader in the sector.
These programmes provide just a snapshot of the bright future for renewable energy in Brazil.
