title: Environmental indicators for sustainability: a strategic analysis for the sugarcane ethanol context in Brazil.
abstract: Sugarcane ethanol is considered a renewable energy source and has emerged as a potential alternative to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, particularly in Brazil. However, there are some questions about how sustainable this energy source is, given the impacts from its production and use on a larger scale. To understand and achieve sustainability, it is essential to build tools that can assess an integrated conception and help decision-makers to establish public policies for a sustainable development. The indicators appear as such tools by capturing the complexity without reducing the significance of each system's component. The environmental indicators such as water quality indicator represent the level of water pollution, considering several parameters. The importance of the development, selection and validation of environmental indicators through a structured and cohesive process becomes essential. In the State of São Paulo, in Brazil, the environmental indicators, as well as policies based on them, are defined by the Environmental Secretariat (SMA/SP). This article presents an environmental indicator's evaluation method and reports based on the discussions about sustainability for the ethanol sugarcane context in the State of São Paulo. The method consists of interviews and an expert's workshop which pointed out a set of benchmarks for the evaluation of environmental indicators. The procedures were applied to an indicator used by the SMA/SP to illustrate the method's effectiveness. The results show that a strategic analysis framework can improve the environmental indicators required for the discussion on sustainability, providing a better guide to decision-makers.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hydraulic and Sanitation , University of São Paulo, Engineering School of São Carlos , Av. São Carlense 400, Centro, São Paulo , CEP 13566-590 , Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hydraulic and Sanitation , University of São Paulo, Engineering School of São Carlos , Av. São Carlense 400, Centro, São Paulo , CEP 13566-590 , Brazil.
authors.forename: Tadeu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Malheiros
authors.affiliation: b Federal Technological University of Paraná, Graduation Program of Technology , Av. Sete de Setembro, 3165, Curitiba , Paraná , CEP 80230-901 , Brazil.
authors.forename: Valdir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: c Department of Civil Engineering , Federal University of Pernambuco , Av. Hélio Ramos s/n, Cidade Universitária, Recife , Pernambuco , CEP 50740-530 , Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria do Carmo
authors.initials: Mdo C
authors.lastname: Sobral
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D001938:Brazil; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D031786:Saccharum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Brazil; analysis method; environmental indicators; sugarcane ethanol; sustainability