The state of São Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil with 40 million people, is leading the way in Brazilian environmental policies. This article discusses the implications this has particularly for climate change policies. Located in the southeast part of the country, far from the Amazon rainforest, São Paulo state has adopted policies and actions that are leading to effective improvements in the quality of air and to the partial recovery of the original Atlantic rainforest, and that promote sustainable practices for ethanol production from sugarcane. Compared to the state of São Paulo, Brazil as a whole faces a considerably different situation, with the federal and the state governments having chosen different pathways for addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental de Brasil. ( 2008). Relatório de Qualidade do Ar no Estado de São Paulo-2007 [São Paulo State Air Quality Report 2007] . São Paulo, Brazil: Author . Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.cetesb.sp.gov.br/Ar/relatorios/RelatorioAr2007.zip
2.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2008). The world factbook. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
3.
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária. ( 2009, September). Zoneamento Agroecológico da Cana-de Açúcar [Agriecological sugarcane zoning]. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.cnps.embrapa.br/zoneamento_cana_de_acucar/ZonCana.pdf
4.
European Union. (2007, January 31). Stricter fuel standards to combat climate change and reduce air pollution [Technical note IP/07/120]. Brussels, Belgium: Author. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/120
5.
Friberg, L. ( 2009). Varieties of carbon governance: The clean development mechanism in Brazil-A success story challenged. Journal of Environment & Development, 18, 395-424.
6.
Goldemberg, J. ( 2006). The promise of clean energy. Energy Policy , 34, 2185-2190.
7.
Goldemberg, J., Coelho, S.T., & Guardabassi, P. (2008). The sustainability of ethanol production from sugarcane. Energy Policy, 36, 2086-2097.
8.
Goldemberg J., Lucon O.Energy and environment in Brazil. Estud. av. vol.21 no.59 São Paulo Jan./Apr. 2007, doi: 10.1590/S0103-40142007000100003 Print version ISSN 0103-4014
9.
Goldemberg, J., & Lucon, O. ( 2010). Energy, the environment and development. London: Earthscan.
10.
Government of Brazil. (2009a). Balanço Energético Nacional [National energy balance]. Brasilia, Brazil: Ministério de Minas e Energia . Retrieved http://www.mme.gov.br/site/menu/select_main_menu_item.do?channelId=1432&pageId=14131
11.
Government of Brazil. (2009b). Cenários para Oferta Brasileira de Mitigação de Emissões [Scenarios of the Brazilian emission reductions offer]. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.forumclima.pr.gov.br/arquivos/File/CenariosparaOfertaBrasileiradeMitiga.pdf
12.
Government of Brazil. (2009c). Inventário brasileiro das emissões e remoções antrópicas de gases de efeito estufa. Informações gerais e valores preliminares, 24 de novembro de 2009 [Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions and removals inventory: General information and preliminary values, November 24, 2009]. Brasilia: Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.oc.org.br/cms/arquivos/inventa¡rio_emissaµes_gee-valores_preliminares-25-11-2009.pdf
13.
Government of Brazil. (2009d). Plano Decenal de Expansão de Energia 2008/2017 [Brazilian decennial energy plan 2008/2017]. Brasilia, Brazil: Ministério de Minas e Energia. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.mme.gov.br/mme/galerias/arquivos/publicacoes/pde_2008_2017/PDE2008-2017_VOL1_CompletoM.pdf
14.
Government of Brazil. (2009e). Política Nacional sobre Mudança do Clima-PNMC [National climate change policy, Law 12187, 29 December, Article 12]. Retrieved http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2007-2010/2009/Lei/L12187.htm
15.
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2009 ). Statistics. Available from http://www.ibge.gov.br
16.
International Monetary Fund. (2009). 2008World Economic Outlook. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weoselser.aspx?c=223&t=1
17.
Johansson, T.B., & Turkenburg, W. (2004). Policies for renewable energy in the European Union and its member states: An overview. Energy for Sustainable Development, 8(1), 5-24.
18.
Lucon, O., Sogabe, M.N., & Coelho, S.T. ( 2005). Air quality and emissions management in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Paper presented at the 98th Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
19.
Market Research Analyst. (2008). World’s ethanol production forecast 2008-2012. Retrieved from (http://www.marketresearchanalyst.com/2008/01/26/world-ethanol-production-forecast-2008-2012/ )
20.
Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. ( 2009). Understanding the international negotiations a few months away from the Copenhagen agreed outcome. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.unep.org/roa/amcen/Projects_Programme/climate_change/default.asp?ct=cop15
21.
REN21. (2009). Renewables status report. Available from www.ren21.net
22.
State Government of São Paulo. (2009 , November 9). São Paulo State Policy on Climate Change (Act 13.798). Available from www.sp.gov.br/spcc
23.
Seade. (2009). Perfil municipal [Municipal profile]. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.seade.gov.br/produtos/perfil/perfil.php
24.
Secretaria do Meio Ambiente. (2002). The Brazilian Energy Initiative. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from www.ambiente.sp.gov.br/uploads/arquivos/iniciativaBrasileira/300805_bei_exec_summ.pdf
25.
Secretaria do Meio Ambiente. (2005). Inventário florestal da vegetação natural do Estado de São Paulo [Natural forestry inventory, State of São Paulo]. São Paulo, Brazil: Secretaria do Meio Ambiente, Instituto Florestal, Imprensa Oficial.
26.
Secretaria do Meio Ambiente. (2008a). São Paulo "Friend of Amazon" Program. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.ambiente.sp.gov.br/projetos2.php
27.
Secretaria do Meio Ambiente. (2008b). São Paulo "Green Ethanol" Program. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from www.ambiente.sp.gov.br/etanolverde
28.
Soares-Filho, B.S., Nepstad, D.C., Curran, L.M., Cerqueira, G.C., Garcia, R.A., Ramos, C.A., et al. (2006). Modeling conservation in the Amazon basin . Nature, 440, 520-523. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.csr.ufmg.br/simamazonia/apresenta/NATURE04389.pdf
29.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (1992). Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/background/items/1355.php
30.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. ( 2001a). CDM-Executive Board, EB 16 Report, Annex 3: Clarifications on the treatment of national and/or sectoral policies and regulations (paragraph 45[e] of the CDM Modalities and Procedures) in determining a baseline scenario . Available from http://unfccc.int/2860.php
31.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. ( 2001b). CDM-Executive Board, EB 22 Report, Annex 3: Clarifications on the consideration of national and/or sectoral policies and circumstances in baseline scenarios-Version 02. Available from http://unfccc.int/2860.php
32.
União da Indústria de Cana-de-açúcar. (2009). Estatísticas [Statistics] . Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.unica.com.br/downloads/estatisticas/producaoetanol.xls
33.
United Nations Statistics Division. (2009). National accounts main aggregates database. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/selectionbasicFast.asp
34.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Transportation and Air Quality. (2009). Heavy-Duty Highway Diesel Program. Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/otaq/highway-diesel/index.htm
