The green economy plays a crucial role for global sustainable development, offering solutions to the environmental and socioeconomic challenges faced by modern societies. It is based on the idea of creating economic value while protecting and restoring ecosystems and promoting social equity.

At a global level, this model is increasingly being recognized as an engine for sustainable and inclusive growth. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), a successful transition to the green economy could generate up to 60 million jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2030. For Brazil, the potential is enormous, due to the country’s vast biodiversity and wealth of natural resources, and because the green economy could help solve both social and environmental problems.

With its multidisciplinary approach and focus on sustainability, Fundação Getulio Vargas plays a key role in building this new economic model through research and studies on topics related to the green economy: 

Offshore wind energy in Brazil: Wind power represents a key component in the transition to a more sustainable future. In Brazil, it stands out as one of the main sources of renewable energy and has huge growth potential. In this context, FGV has focused on conducting surveys, producing analyses, generating indicators of progress and identifying challenges, opportunities and areas for attention in the regulation of offshore wind generation. FGV’s studies and recommendations have supported discussions at national and international events, as well as influencing the development of proposals related to the regulation of offshore wind energy in Brazil. 

Model for sustainable ethanol production: Ethanol has proven to be an important source of renewable energy in Brazil. The country produces over 30 billion liters of ethanol per year – around 13% of domestic energy production. However, the expansion of ethanol production could threaten tropical forests, and Fundação Getulio Vargas set out to tackle this problem. Using a dynamic land use model, FGV uncovered how crop area and productivity affect the supply of sugarcane ethanol in Brazil. This model is fed by remote sensing (satellite) information on sugarcane activities.

Imaflora – Technology serving sustainability in the Amazon: FGV’s partnership with the Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora) seeks to improve the Timberflow platform in terms of control and traceability of timber production in the Amazon. Using data science and artificial intelligence tools, the initiative allows for the cross-checking of information from various sources in the logging industry, in order to identify patterns and thereby support oversight policies aimed at the sustainable management of the Amazon Rainforest. 

About FGV’s Social Impact Report

The Social Impact Report presents FGV’s intellectual output, including facts, figures, research projects and survey results across different areas of the institution. It describes FGV’s range of activities and the positive changes it generates in society.

In line with FGV’s mission to stimulate Brazil’s socioeconomic development, the document presents data and highlights regarding the organization’s evolution in its main areas of impact, whether through projects, initiatives or activities focused on innovation in public and budgetary policies, the green economy, human rights and social development, national defense and security, and global productivity and cooperation.

Click here to see the full report.