The Evolution of the Balance Between International Environmental Protection and Economic Development in Emerging Countries
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Department of International Relations Course of Global Justice The evolution of the balance between international environmental protection and economic development in emerging countries The case of the Brazilian protection of the Amazon (1992-2018) DI PAOLA, Marcello (LUISS) LOUAULT, Frédéric (ULB) GENTILE, Valentina (LUISS) SUPERVISORS CO-SUPERVISOR PRADOS ESPÍNOLA, Marina (642602) CANDIDATE Academic Year: 2019/2020 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank my parents and family. Gracias Mamá y Papá, por motivarme siempre a ser mejor, por ser ejemplo para mí todos los días y por enseñarme que lo más importante de todo es ser buena persona. Gracias a mi familia por haberme apoyado desde el principio, por siempre estar ahí, por haber confiado en mí y por enseñarme la importancia del esfuerzo y de la dedicación. Gracias Tita Esther, por ser luz cuando me desmorono. I would like to acknowledge the fundamental pillar in my life, Gabriel. Thanks for always being there and for giving me the patience and confidence in myself that I always lack. Thanks to Julia, Marta and Cristina for trusting and encouraging me in every decision I make in my life. I acknowledge my friends, for each of the people that the different stages of my life have brought me. You are my second family. Each and every one of you has taught me something fundamental. I would like to thank the two institutions, the ULB and LUISS Guido Carli, that have helped me to become the person I am today and have transmitted me the passion for knowledge and the adoption of a critical spirit always seeking to discover more. Thanks to the supervisors and co-supervisor of this work, Frédéric Louault, Marcello Di Paola, and Valentina Gentile for your comments, indications and patience. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who are dedicated body and soul to the defense of the environment, your passion and dedication have motivated me throughout the process of developing this work. 2 "The Cold War is over; the green war has begun" South Magazine, June 1990 “The end of the forest is the end of our lives” Sister Dorothy Stang “Os seringueiros, os índios, os ribeirinhos há mais de 100 anos ocupam a floresta. Nunca a ameaçaram. Quem a ameaça são os projetos agropecuários, os grandes madeireiros e as hidrelétricas com suas inundações criminosas” Chico Mendes 3 LIST OF ACRONYMS ABS Access and Benefit-Sharing CBD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity CBDR Common but Differentiated Responsibilities CELAC Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ECOSOC Economic and Social Council EMBRAPA Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria FREL Forest Emission Reference Levels GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environmental Facility GEG Global Environmental Governance GHG Greenhouse gas INDCs National International Contributions IPCC International Panel on Climate Change IR International Relations JPOI Johannesburg Plan of Implementation LMMC Group of Like-Minded Mega-Diverse Countries LULUCF Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry MAT Mutually Agreed Terms MCTIC Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication MDG Millennium Development Goal MEA Multilateral Environmental Agreement MMA Brazilian Ministry of Environment MRE// Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Itamaraty 4 MYPOW Multi-Year Program of Work NAMAs Nationally appropriated mitigation actions NBSAPs National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans NC National Communication ODA Official Development Agency PIC Prior Informed Consent PPP Polluter Pays Principle PPP Per Capita REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries SBI Subsidiary Body for Implementation SCP Sustainable Consumption and Production SDG Sustainable Development Goal TPES Total Primary Energy Supply UN United Nations UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCHE United Nations Conference on the Human Environment UNCTAD UN Council on Trade and Development UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change WCED World Commission on Environment and Development WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development COP Conference of the Parties IPCC International Panel on Climate Change SBSTA Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary ............................................................................................................................... 8 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 II. Review of the literature................................................................................................ 4 A. Brazil as the Perfect Case Study for Several Authors ................................................ 4 B. Review of the Literature about the Brazilian Environmental Relation with the Amazon 10 III. Theoretical Development ........................................................................................... 16 A. Sustainable Development ......................................................................................... 16 1. The Historical Progression of the Concept of Sustainable Development ............ 16 2. Understanding the Contestations to Sustainable Development ............................ 22 B. Global Environmental Governance ......................................................................... 24 1. The Concepts of Commitment, Leadership and Cooperation as Main Components of GEG ......................................................................................................................... 27 C. Emerging Countries ................................................................................................. 32 IV. Methodology of the Research and Operationalization of the Hypotheses ............ 35 A. First Phase: Brazilian evolution and contributions to the concept of sustainable development in the context of COPs to the UNFCCC (1992-2018) ................................ 37 1. Brazilian Transformation of the Concept of Sustainable Development .............. 37 2. Instrumentalization of the Concept of Sustainable Development for Countering the Dominance of the Northern Powers ............................................................................. 59 3. Distancing from the Pure Essence of the Concept of Sustainable of Protecting the Environment ................................................................................................................. 66 B. Second Phase: Brazilian Evolution and Contributions to the Concept of Sustainable Development in the Context of Sessions of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (2004-2018) ................................................................................................ 70 1. Brazilian Transformation of the Concept of Sustainable Development .............. 72 2. Instrumentalization of the Concept of Sustainable Development for Countering the Dominance of the Northern Powers ............................................................................. 80 C. Final Phase: Brazilian Evolution and Contributions to the Concept of Sustainable Development in the Amazon in the Context of the COPS to the CBD. ............................ 83 6 1. Brazilian Transformation of the Concept of Sustainable Development .............. 84 V. Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 90 VI. Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 95 VII. Bibliography of the operationalization of the hypotheses .................................... 102 VIII. Appendix I: Map of the Brazilian Amazon and the different regions with levels of deforestation ....................................................................................................... 115 IX. Appendix II: Detailed presentation of the different conference of the parties to the UNFCCC and the CBD .................................................................................................... 117 X. Appendix III: Research’s Summary ........................................................................ 119 7 Summary Environmental concerns have taken the frontline of international discussions and meetings. As the nature of the causes of environmental degradation was discovered to be increasingly complex, the essence of the discussions was also becoming exponentially more intricate. More actors and therefore, different interests and realities, were introduced to the scenario. This is the context of emerging powers which were willing to participate in the international environmental agenda by moving forward their national rights and needs to develop in the economic and social spheres. Against this backdrop, the concept of sustainable development arises; a term that has proved to be highly political. This research aims at assessing the role of developing countries in transforming the concept of sustainable development, taking Brazil as the perfect case study because it gathers crucial elements such as its mega-diversity condition, its economic and social development and its political relevance in the regional and international scenarios. This research is centered on the study of how Brazil, as an emerging country, has defended and evolved in the defense of the balance between the economic, social and environmental pillars of the term sustainable