Ronaldo Seroa da Motta

• Ph.D. Economics
• Professor at Rio de Janeiro State University

The journal Energy Economics, a leading international peer-reviewed outlet for economic theory in the energy sector, celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2024. This article uses a bibliometric approach to present a retrospective of the journal's contributions. The study includes all publications from the journal based on data from the Web of Science...

Brazil has an NDC committed to a 50% GHG reduction by 2030 in relation to its 2005 level and has announced its net zero target by 2050. Such a decarbonization pathway is very much dependent on confronting illegal deforestation and reducing emissions from crop and livestock activities. In recent years, there has been increasing demand for carbon cre...

It is widely recognized that Brazil has achieved a great degree of greenhouse abatement mainly due the 70% reduction in the deforestation rate combining control instruments as the improvement of monitoring system and sanction enforcement on forest management plus restrictions to agricultural expansion in the region. Brazil’s INDC is even more ambit...

O marco regulatório da Lei Nacional do Saneamento Básico introduz mudanças fundamentais na prestação dos serviços de abastecimento de água, coleta e tratamento de esgotos. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a eficiência do setor após a implantação da referida lei, utilizando o método análise envoltória de dados (data envelopment analysis-DEA) em u...

O trabalho analisa a eficiência técnica do setor de saneamento no Brasil considerando diferentes áreas de atuação, natureza da administração e tipos de serviços prestados entre os anos de 2006 e 2015. Para tal, utiliza um modelo de programação matemática denominado Análise Envoltória de Dados (Data Envelopment Analysis- DEA) com auxílio das técnica...

O trabalho analisa a eficiência técnica do setor de saneamento no Brasil considerando diferentes áreas de atuação, natureza da administração e tipos de serviços prestados entre os anos de 2006 e 2015. Para tal, utiliza um modelo DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) com as técnicas bootstrap e jackstrap. Os resultados indicam que há economias de escopo q...

The Brazilian Amazon forest is tremendously important for its ecosystem services but attribution of economically measurable values remains scarce. Mapping these values is essential for designing conservation strategies that suitably combine regional forest protection with sustainable forest use. We estimate spatially explicit economic values for...

RESUMO Este estudo estima a probabilidade de produtores rurais participarem de um programa de pagamentos por serviços ambientais (PSA) na bacia do rio Paraíba do Sul, Brasil, para atividades de conversão produtiva, conservação e regeneração florestal, com base numa pesquisa de campo junto aos potenciais provedores. A estratégia de identificação con...

This paper investigates the effects of political (mis)alignment on public service delivery when mandates are shared between state and local governments. We analyze local sewage treatment policies in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian Constitution divides the mandates related to the control of water pollution. It gives the mayors of munic...

The recent 70% decline in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon suggests that it is possible to manage the advance of a vast agricultural frontier. Enforcement of laws, interventions in soy and beef supply chains, restrictions on access to credit, and expansion of protected areas appear to have contributed to this decline, as did a decline in the d...

This article presents a cost-benefit analysis of the new Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) that the State Government of Rio de Janeiro, in partnership with the Roberto Marinho Foundation, is building in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The museum will expand the collection the cultural production of the city, as much in regards to its history as to its fu...

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta uma análise de custo-benefício do novo Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) que o Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro em parceria com a Fundação Roberto Marinho está construindo na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O museu vai ampliar o acervo da produção cultural carioca, tanto a sua história quanto à sua produção futura. Nosso est...

In this paper, different approaches and models to evaluate source–receptor relationship for potential atmospheric pollutants on examples of source and receptor points/regions (the Euro–Arctic and North Pacific) are considered. The forward–backward trajectory modelling approach combined with statistical methods of cluster analysis and probability fi...

In 2007 we conducted a contingent valuation survey in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to estimate the population’s willingness–to–pay (WTP) to avoid one hospital admission (HA) and one emergency–room visit (ER) due to respiratory diseases in adults and children younger than 5 years old; and cardiovascular diseases in adults only; both associated with atmospheri...

1 APRESENTAÇÃO Neste capítulo, busca-se evidenciar a importância do tema da mudança climática enquanto fator condicionante a permear a formulação de políticas e ações públicas. Adota-se como ponto de partida uma análise das negociações e da posição do Brasil na 15 a Conferência das Partes (COP15), da Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre a Mudan...

This study analyses how political and institutional factors affected the performance of municipalities in improving social welfare in Brazil in the period from1990 to 2000. Themodel adopts a stochastic production frontier, conditioned by variables related to the provision costs of services and those that can affect municipal efficiency. The results...

Policymakers should be aware of the potential tradeoff between environmental effectiveness and competitiveness concerns involving water charge implementation. This tradeoff can be particularly important in countries like Brazil, which adopt a decentralized and participative water management approach through River Basin Committees. In such regulator...

The Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest is internationally recognised as one of the most biodiverse and threatened tropical forests in the world [Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., da Fonseca, G.A.B., Kent, J., 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403, 853–858]. The Seasonal Semi-Deciduous Forest is among the most...

This study analyses how technological, political and institutional factors affect the performance of municipalities in improving welfare in Brazil in the period 1989- 2000. The model adopts a stochastic production frontier conditioned to variables related to the provision costs and those that may explain efficiency. The most stable result indicated...

This study will analyze the determinants of environmental performance in the Brazilian industrial sector. It uses a database conducted by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industries inquiring about questions on environmental management over 325 medium and large firms referred to the year 1997. We have been able to test a proxy of environment...

This article aims at assessing the financial and environmental impacts of water charge implementation in the Paraíba do Sul river basin through the analysis of industrial userswater demand behaviour and effluent treatment costs. Results suggest that water charges may attain satisfactory results in terms of water resources conservation while not imp...

It was significant the reduction of child mortality rate associated with waterborne diseases in Brazil in the last two decades. Applying an epidemiological model we were able to identify that not only improvement in sanitation coverage as well as access to educational and health services were responsible for such rate pattern. Based on our economet...

This article aims at presenting the results of the "Survey of Industrial Water Use at the Paraiba do Sul River Basin". This survey collected data about 488 industrial facilities located in the river basin area. The survey had the following goals: a) providing a general characterization of the role of water in industrial plants; and b) assessing the...

It was significant the reduction of child mortality rate associated with waterbornediseases in Brazil in the last two decades. Applying an epidemiological model we wereable to identify that not only improvement in sanitation coverage as well as access toeducational and health services were responsible for such rate pattern. Based on oureconometric...

This article aims at presenting the results of the ?Survey of Industrial Water Use atthe Para�ba do Sul River Basin?. This survey collected data about 488 industrialfacilities located in the river basin area. The survey had the following goals: a)providing a general characterization of the role of water in industrial plants; and b)assessing the fin...

Regulation in the sanitation sector in Brazil is facing a great deal of debate regarding the government level at which conceding authority should reside and how private operators can fulfill social objectives. The main objective of this study is to show that these issues are not the crucial barriers to the sector's development when one looks at the...

The objective of this study is to investigate the cost of the use of fire in the Amazon. Burnings are commonplace in the Amazon production process and contribute towards the region's agricultural expansion. Fire is used by farmers in the land preparation process and in clearing forest areas. It also helps combat plants that overrun pastures. Howeve...

This book argues that the economic appeal of using water charges to promote efficiency in usage and pollution control can be constrained by institutional and operational problems. Analysing the cases of France, Mexico and Brazil, the authors - respective local experts - illustrate that barriers are similar despite the existing differences among the...

Regulation in the sanitation sector in Brazil is facing a great deal of debate regarding the government level in which conceding authority should reside and how private operators can fulfill social objectives. The main objective of this study is to show that these issues are not the crucial barriers to the development of the sector when one looks a...

This study will analyze the determinants of environmental performance in the Brazilian industrial sector. It uses a database conducted by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industries inquiring about questions on environmental management over 325 medium and large firms referred to the year 1997. We have been able to test three proxies of envir...

Fire has been traditionally used by farmers as mean of land preparation and, therefore, benefiting agriculture and pasture. However, fire application may also generate private and social costs. This study attempts to measure these fire use costs in the Brazilian Amazon. Fire control can be lost and damage cultivated and pasture land and other farm'...

This study simulates environmental effects with the inter-regional general equilibrium model Mibra assuming economic growth rates in a pessimist scenario of 2.3% a.a. and an optimist scenario of 4.4% a.a., both for the period 2002-2012. Using pollution intensity coefficients associated to production activities, environmental effects were estimated...

Industrial Environmental Impacts of FTAA in Brazil This study is an attempt to estimate the industrial environmental impacts due to FTAA in Brazil. Based on these CGE model results from Tourinho and Kume (2002), we estimate the resulting changes of pollution emission and water and energy use levels in the Brazilian industrial sector due to FTAA. Ou...

We introduce carbon taxation of CO2 emissioins in a Computable General Equilibrium Model (CGE) for the Brazilian economy, and analyse its main envronmental and economic impacts, both ate the macroeconomic and sectoral levels. To present the main issues, we construct three different cenarios for the economy, which corespond to the application of thr...

This presentation discusses conclusions of the policy phase and shows a new approach to plan and decentralize water management to accommodate multiple conflicting uses and excess use of water above assimilative and carrying capacities. The design phase and implementation phase are discussed in detail, as well as recommendations for water management...

This presentation discusses the new water policy in Brazil. The examples of the State of Ceará, the State of São Paulo and the Federal River Basin of Paraíba do Sul are given. In addition, the criteria of charges applied are detailed along with the formulae for the total monthly water charge. This document was presented by the Environment Network o...

This valuation exercise presents an estimation of total economic cost associated with deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon for the year 2000. Although some crucial methodological problems could not be totally overcome, we had the opportunity to apply more consistent and robust estimation procedures than the previous studies on the matter. We show...

Using the MIBRA model, an Applied Interregional General Equilibrium Model, constructed for the Brazilian economy and its five macro regions (North, Northeast, Central West, Southeast, an South), this papers tries to identify which would be the impact of environmental restrictions in the economic growth of the Brazilian economy an in its macro regio...

This study is an attempt to analyze the probability of industrial firms in Sao Paulo to undertake environmental investments utilizing a database from the 1996 economic industrial survey Paep together with economic and social of the location where production units are located. To carry this on, a Probit model is employed to estimate marginal effects...

This study is devoted to analysing the social and economic aspects of the Brazilian options for projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) created under the Kyoto Protocol. If, on one hand, the CDM may, theoretically, be an efficient instrument to minimise global control costs of GHG emissions, on the other it will not, necessarily, maxim...

To analyze the environmental pattern of urban consumption in Brazil, we have estimated household degradation level (E) for ten income classes calculated by the product of its propensity to degrade to the average household income. In turn, propensity to degrade (Pmg) is estimated as the propensity to consume weighted by the pollution or natural reso...

Pollution emissions from vehicles have increased considerably in recent years in many Brazilian cities, causing significant health problems. As a response, environmental standards for automobile pollution were implemented in 1988, and considerable reductions in emissions were attained. Nevertheless, in 1997 substantial differences in emissions betw...

Air pollution concentrations have been rapidly increasing in the major urban areas of Brazil caused mainly by the increasing use of vehicles. In response, mandatory emission standards were introduced by the Programa de Controle da Poluigao Veicular (Proconve) in 1988. This paper uses pollution emission and characteristics data to analyze the compli...

If not properly dealt with over compatible horizons, environmental issues may cause ventures to incur higher costs and extend over longer implementation periods. Prompted by the uncertainties and risks inherent in these issues, as well as by the need for long-term plans to incorporate sustainable development principles, the Brazilian Power Sector i...

Resumo O presente trabalho utiliza dados da pesquisa da atividade econômica de São Paulo (PAEP) em conjunto com dados municipais de regulação, economia política e condições socio-econômicas, para explicar a probabilidade das unidades locais da indústria realizarem investimentos ambientais no ano de 1996. Para tal, um modelo probit é utilizado para...

The principle of fair sharing of costs and benefits from conservation is missed elsewhere - Volume 2 Issue 1 - RONALDO SEROA DA MOTTA

This study estimates depreciation values for timber extraction activities in the Brazilian Amazon for 1990 and 1995. A generalized approach following Vincent and Hartwick (1997) is applied enabling us to calculate depreciation based on all three methods proposed in the literature. We also calculate Hotelling rents for timber as a whole and for maho...

Air pollution concentrations have been rapidly increasing in the major urban areas of Brazil caused mainly by the increasing use of vehicles. In the presence of this negative externality, environmental regulation is required. Car emission control policies in Brazil have relied basically on mandatory emission standards and subsidies for specific cle...

Adoption of climate change response options generates not only global carbon-saving benefits but also local externalities, here denominated as secondary benefits. So far funding for global warming response options, such as GEF, has discriminated against secondary benefits (SD) in their project analysis. SD, in this context, are benefits not specifi...

This article summarizes a comprehensive series of country studies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), addressing experiences with market based instruments (MBIs) and command and control (CAC) approaches. First, MBIs can be an important means for introducing some added efficiency to existing CAC mechanisms. The scope of the MBIs must, however,...

Abstract This paper summarizes a series of country studies addressing the use of market-based instruments (MBIs) and command-and-control (CAC) measures for environmental management in Latin America and the Caribbean. MBIs can be an important means for introducing added efficiency to existing CAC mechanisms. However, the scope of MBIs must match cou...

This study presents estimates for the depreciation of the natural capital of the Brazilian economy with regard to the use of mineral and water resources. The importance of a measurement of this depreciation is linked to the treatment meted out to natural resources in social accounting systems. Insofar as the use of the environment is not normally d...

This paper provides estimates of mineral depletion in Brazil, and their implication for the measurement of sustainable income for the mineral sector, during the period 1970–1988. Two alternative approaches are briefly reviewed: the net price approach and the user cost approach. Estimates of sustainable income from mineral extraction in Brazil are c...

This paper discusses the controversy regarding adjustments needed to be introduced in National Accounts to determine sustainable income measures. The issue is presented separately for depletion and degradation costs in order to take into account inter- and intratemporal considerations. It is argued that the approaches proposed in recent literature...

This paper discusses past and current policies concerning tropical deforestation in Brazil. In the last few years, the Brazilian government has reviewed and changed many aspects of past policies that encouraged deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon forest. Although the new set of policies is not fully implemented and, therefore, its effectiveness i...

The recent economic reappraisal presented in this study shows that the social viability of ethanol production in Brazil will only became a reality with considerable increases in productivity and with international oil prices above US$ 30.00, factors which are only likely to come about at the end of the 1990s. However, if one accepts that the invest...

Este artigo teve por objetivo discutir os impactos econômicos no POÁLCOOL, causados por mudanças econômicas no cenário energético, devido, principalmente, a queda nos preços internacionais do petróleo, e avaliar os ajustes que se tornaram necessários ao programa após a decretação do Plano de Estabilização Econômica. A análise econômica concluiu que...

The social viability of the Brazilian National Alcohol Programme is discussed. First, the national parameters for Brazil are estimated and based on these values alternative appraisal procedures are developed to determine the social cost of ethanol. The main data base is given by the breakdown of the cost of production of ethanol in three Brazilian...