2016-11-04
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On October 21, the Ministry of the Environment (Ministério do Meio Ambiente – MMA) held the “International Seminar on Air Quality Management” in Brasília. Through presentation of a study on EU norms and strategies to control atmospheric emissions, the event expanded the discussion on solutions to improve air quality in Brazil. To address this question, the MMA drew on the support of the EU-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility, an initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Management (Ministério do Planejamento, Desenvolvimento e Gestão – MP) and the EU Delegation in Brazil (DELBRA).
At the opening session, the Secretary of Water Resources and Urban Environment (Secretário de Recursos Hídricos e Ambiente Urbano) of the MMA, Ricardo Soavinski, argued that addressing this issue at a time of increasing atmospheric pollution posed a significant challenge. “Many studies indicate that we need to rethink air quality parameters. This seminar is very important for delving further into the technical questions surrounding approval of a new resolution in this area”, underscored the secretary.
Letícia Carvalho, MMA Director of Environmental Quality in Industry (Diretora de Qualidade Ambiental na Indústria) do MMA, noted that EU-Brazil cooperation has made a significant contribution to the review of Brazilian strategies on air quality management. Similarly, the Acting National Director for the Sector Dialogues Support Facility, Giovana Veloso, praised to the MMA’s active participation in the EU-Brazil initiative. “The Ministry of the Environment is a key partner in the Project, having undertaken 25 actions to date, including six under the current call”, she said.
Mission to Europe
In September, Luiz Gustavo Haisi Mandalho, an Environmental Analyst at the MMA, and Gustavo dos Santos Souza, a Senior Technology Expert at the Ministry of Health (Ministério da Sáude), travelled to Europe for purposes of gathering information on air quality management. The mission was sponsored under the aegis of the Sector Dialogues Support Facility.
The mission began with a visit to the Portuguese Environmental Agency in Lisbon, Portugal, where the Brazilian representatives were offered an overview of air quality in Portugal and a fist-hand look at the internalization of EU regulations.
In London, the federal government specialists took part in a seminar on atmospheric and noise pollution organized by the MRC-PHE Group, a group formed by King’s College and Imperial College. “We had the opportunity to learn more about innovations in technical studies relating to atmospheric pollution and air quality currently under development within the Environmental Research Group, which has primary responsibility for managing the air quality monitoring system in London”, notes Luiz Gustavo Mandalho. While in the English capital, the mission representatives also visited two air quality monitoring stations.
A mission to Denmark was also included on the itinerary. In Copenhagen, the Brazilian officials visited the European Environmental Agency, which is responsible for receiving and compiling air quality data for the entire EU, and two air quality monitoring stations. In Roskilde, the Brazilian representatives toured the National Environmental Research Centre located on the campus of Aarhus University, and visited an air quality monitoring station equipped with the latest atmospheric pollution measuring technology.
According to Luiz Gustavo Mandalho, the mission was an opportunity to further explore shared air quality management efforts in the EU through identification of the respective lead participating institutions, as well as the key obstacles faced and solutions adopted. “It was clear that the system in place in the EU was built over many years before reaching its current stage of development and that the commitment of individual institutions and actors is a central component of the system, as is continuous dialogue between participating institutions”, remarks Mr Mandalho.
Luiz Gustavo Mandalho also reported that in their meetings with European officials, the Brazilian representatives presented the Brazilian air quality management system currently in place, laying out its successes and challenges, while also introducing the Automotive Vehicle Pollution Control Programme (Programa de Controle da Poluição por Veículos Automotores – PROCONVE), the most successful environmental quality initiative in Brazil to date, initially implemented in 1986.
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