Brazilians are the greenest

When I take a cab in Rio de Janeiro, chances are it runs on sugar-cane ethanol, the cleanest, most efficient mass-produced biofuel in the world. When I turn on my computer, it's likely powered by hydroelectric energy coming from the giant Itaipu dam or others in the region. And even when it's the thick of winter here, around July, the temperature’s still a balmy 70 degrees, meaning I don't have to crank up the heater.

Life, especially city life, in Brazil resembles that of most countries. But according to the National Geographic Society and the polling firm GlobeScan in findings released this week, Brazilians, tied with Indians, live the greenest lifestyles of 14 major countries surveyed. Oh yeah, and guess who came in last? That's right, Americans.

Brazilians won the sustainable-consumption crown, National Geographic News says, because they typically live in smaller houses, use less air conditioning or heating and heat their water with tankless systems, which in many cases means precarious-looking electric shower heads that have naked wires sticking out of them.

I would add the factors I mentioned above, the widespread use of ethanol (about half of vehicle fuel used here is ethanol) and heavy dependence on hydroelectricity (it generates more than 80 percent of energy supplies). And the fact is Brazil is still a largely poor country, which means people have less money to buy all that stuff that eats up resources.

The finding was backed up by another study released yesterday by a Brazilian government research institute, which found sugar cane-based biofuels last year made up Brazil's second most-used energy source. Petroleum products still made up the biggest part, at 36.7 percent of the matrix, but ethanol beat out hydroelectric sources for second at 16 percent.

In all, renewable energy made up 46.4 percent of Brazil's energy matrix.

What can Americans learn from the Brazilian example? Well, if Americans want to be resource-sustainable, Brazilians would say their northern neighbors need to cut a 54 cent-per-gallon tariff on foreign ethanol that blocks most Brazilian biofuels from entering.

But even with Brazilian ethanol in the U.S. mix, the fact is Americans need to overhaul their entire way of living if they want to stop being the world's biggest resource hogs. Driving hours to and from work every day in SUVs, cranking the air-conditioning even in the fall, all that stuff we take for granted contributes to the problem.

But I wouldn't hold my breath. While Americans regularly bemoan our resource-hungry ways, we're still not ready to change them. Brazilians, on the other hand, continue to be the greenest.

Comments

[Brian]

Gee, is that the same Brazil that suffered a crippling energy crisis seven years ago that almost single-handedly put its economy into recession?

[Rain39]

My son lives in Brazil and we have visited him. My grand son is Brazilian and American. They are right about the sugar cane and tariff we charge to keep their fuel out of our country. Shows how short sighted we are as our corn and wheat prices skyrocket!

On the other hand, they have plenty of problems, many of their own making, just like we do. They indiginous people provide cheap labor for them as nanny's housekeepers, etc. They treat them like family members but also infantilize them not paying living wages buy buying them food, apartments etc. They still chose to live in their own communities which are often very dangerous and ride the buses long ways to work.