A sustentabilidade do desenvolvimento e a demanda material da economia: o caso do Brasil comparado ao de países industrializados

Abstract

This paper deals with the relation Society-Environment. Based on the System Theory, a theoretical background is established to understand that relation and, at same time, to enable the operational access to its dynamics. Then, a methodological approach, focused on material flows accountability of the economic process, is connected to that theoretical matrix. From this approach, known as Material Flow Analysis (MFA), the Economic-Environmental Metabolism was examined in detail. This concept allows to quantify the energy and material demand of an economy. The analysis of the Total Material Demand (TMD) enables us to know the ecological efficiency of any economic process and allows us to elaborate environmental impact indicators of antropic activities. This study produced an appropriate methodology that was applied to measure the TMD of Brazil and to compare it with the TMD of the USA, Germany, Japan and The Netherlands. The results demonstrated that the methodology is capable of identifying relevant ecological features of the economy, showing that the economic system has its own logic and that in the present conditions it is increasingly unsustainable in relation to the environment.