Sustentabilidade e inovações tecnológicas em projetos de pesquisa da Embrapa Florestas: a produção de biomassa

Abstract

Research through projects which induce actions of sustainability and innovation, has promoted the development process of many countries. However, conflicts, contradictions and interests, which sometimes bring unwanted results, are present in this movement what may output some unwanted results. The need for preservation and conservation of nature and the environmental impacts on societies require changes on the behavior of corporations and government. Investments in research, science and technology are essential to stimulate innovation and to establish the limits of the uses and forms of appropriation of natural resources. In this dissertation, a technical research project was analyzed to check how the researchers inserted their own research in economic, social, environmental and political contexts. The analyzed project entitled "Florestas Energéticas na Matriz de Agroenergia Brasileira" is coordinated by Embrapa Florestas as part of the National Plan of Agro-energy (Plano Nacional de Agroenergia) which is an outcome of Brazilian public policies for alternative sources of energy. The theoretical basis for this research involved the selection of keywords such as: science, technology, society, development, forests, biomass, innovation and sustainability. This research was of qualitative nature with the analysis of documents and bibliography, exploring analytic resources from linguistics and interdisciplinarity. Words which express structural aspects of the project such as environment, economy, society and public politicies where identified. After the definition of objectives and methodological procedures, were addressed themes of development and technology in the context of the Brazilian economy. The discussions covered topics of the project, in special that ones related to forest biomass, exploration, production, consumption and waste wood. Thus, is was possible to expose an understanding of sustainability and the limits of natural resources as support instruments for the development of research projects. The results of the analysis of the research project (Florestas Energéticas and its five component projects) pointed out that the greatest motivator of public policies was the economic aspect while other aspects such as social, environmental and political were complementary to it. Thus, it can be assured that the thematic contents of the texts present a wide and varied repertoire on energies towards sustainable actions. The arguments found at the theoretical basis are included on the actives proposed on the project, which allows inferring on links and connections among researchers acting inside and outside of the project frame. On the social impact, the project foresees the use of manpower and income generation, and a consequence, improvement on quality of life. In it the term "sustainable development" refers to the socioeconomic and environmental issues. They may represent the choices of future generations in order to give continuity to the actions towards life. In essence of the discussions that refer to it, there is a highlight on forestry for energy production activities; which contributes to the balance of natural and industrial processes. It is worth noting the important role of public policy in the implementation of actions supportive of alternative and renewable sources, and also supportive of researches and investments that impact on environment conservation and preservation.