Brazil: Ambitious law seeks São Paulo transformation

[Blue_Tires]

São Paulo appears to have stolen a march not just on every other city in Brazil, but also on the government, with its municipal Climate Law. Passed unanimously on June 5 this year, it sets out ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage waste and promote sustainability in everything from construction to transportation.

“We consider global warming the most serious social, economic and environmental problem that humanity has yet faced and that the poorest countries are the worst affected,” Eduardo Jorge, Municipal Environment Secretary for São Paulo, told the Financial Times.

But while the ambition and scope of the bill – the first of its kind in Brazil – has been welcomed, some of its targets have been attacked as unrealistic and critics wonder just how others are going to be implemented. “It’s very complete and it deals with a lot of issues, mainly to do with construction, transport and energy. But there are some really serious pitfalls,” says Alexandre Spatuzza, editor of online sustainability magazine, Revista Sustentabilidade . “There is not enough structure in place for this to happen.”

Sergio Litão, campaigns director of Greenpeace Brazil has other concerns: “It does not include punishments for those who don’t comply,” he says. “It does not have fines.”

Adalberto Maluf, São Paulo city director of the Clinton Foundation, supports the bill. “For Brazil, it is really pioneering,” he says. “It is the first big municipal law passed that incorporates different aspects about health, transport and energy. It puts São Paulo out in front.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/844c6034-a3e9-11de-9fed-00144feabdc0.html