Feature Stories
Environmental research in the Amazon Basin, Brazil
- Story Resources
- Back to Main Story »
- Summit Final Press Release
- Highlights of Summit Commitments
- Summit Action Agenda
Photo
Gallery
- PARTNERSHIPS
- Partnership initiatives are an important outcome of the WSSD, and IAEA-led partnerships help equip countries with the tools they need to work for a sustainable future.
- Protecting Coastal Areas, Partnership programme in Africa
- Building Country Profiles, Partnership programme in Brazil
- Energy Indicators, Partnership in environmental protection
- Sustainable Water Management, Partnership in hydrology
- IAEA EVENTS@WSSD
- Holds Parallel Event on Control of Insect Pests
- Presents Energy Partnerships
- Moderates Water Side Event
- IAEA Factsheets:
- Managing Water Resources Using Isotope Hydrology
- Capacity Building for Sustainable Development
- Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development
- Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development
- Improving Human Health
- Improving Productivity in Agriculture
- Web Links
- Department of Nuclear Applications
Building Country Profiles
Satisfying Brazil's Energy Demands, Without Sacrificing the Environment
Staff Report
Making energy more affordable for Brazil's 170 million people without
plundering the country's unique natural resources is a focus of a new
IAEA/Brazilian partnership. The IAEA has teamed up with Brazil to construct
what is known as a 'Country Profile', to provide a framework for assessing
Brazil's sustainable energy development strategies. The Profile guides
the structure and monitors the effectiveness of environmentally friendly
strategies to meet Brazil's growing energy demands.
The partnership will result in an overall assessment of Brazil's energy
system, a review of potential future energy demand scenarios, comprehensive
sustainable energy strategies, and a plan for continued monitoring of
the effectiveness of these strategies in moving the country towards a
sustainable energy future. It also builds analytical capacity in a number
of participating Brazil institutions.
As the third largest energy consumer in the Western Hemisphere, Brazil
is "an ideal candidate for demonstrating the feasibility and merits
of constructing such a profile," an IAEA partnership submission
to the World Summit on Sustainable Development reported. It is the world's
fifth most populous country; it uses the full spectrum of energy options;
and it is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the Latin
American region. Brazil is also home to 30% of the planet's tropical
forest.
Brazil is not alone in its challenge to meet the energy needs of its
people, without destroying the environment. Countries all over the globe
face similar hurdles. It is anticipated that Brazil's country profile
will serve as a template for others. "Ideally, countries should
be able to construct a profile of their own progress towards a sustainable
energy future," the IAEA partnership submission said.
A comprehensive set of statistical energy indicators - Indicators
for Sustainable Energy Development, or ISED - will be used to help
build Brazil's country profile, which, in turn, is expected to demonstrate
the applicability of the ISED approach to energy policy assessment.
The partnership currently includes the IAEA (lead partner), the Center
for Biomass (CENBIO) of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and the Graduate
School of Engineering (COPPE) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. An Ad-hoc Expert Committee to oversee the project will be chaired
by Prof. José Goldemberg (Brazil) and include experts from COPPE,
CENBIO, the IAEA and UNDESA.
A final report will be completed in 2004. The full partnership submission
is available here.