Invited specialists to the public hearing held on Wednesday (29) by the Permanent Subcommittee on Biofuels – linked to the Committee on Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (CRA) – defended the increase of sugar cane plantation and the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.

The audience was promoted to discuss the real impact of ethanol production on the environment and to attend a request by senator João Tenório (PSDB-AL), president of the subcommittee. Among the specialists were Laura Tetti, environmentalist and consultant to Única; Luiz Cortes, Agricultural Engineering profesor at Unicamp; Manoel Régis Lima Verde Leal, from National Center of Alternative Energy; and the deputy Fernando Gabeira (PV-RJ).

Laura Tetti said that sugar cane plantation is one of the activities that presents the least index of soil erosion. She made a comparison between cane and soybean, affirming that the latter, taking as a symbol of modernity, shows, however, a level of soil erosion 62 times bigger than the cane. In her opinion, there is an emotional discussion about the increase of sugar cane plantation to the use of ethanol.

- There is a tendency to project in sugar cane the mistakes, the bad habits of colonization practices of the past. Brazil had serious problems because of these processes, but it should not project this in sugar cane – said Laura.

Each tone of sugar cane destined to alcohol production, according to the consultant, absorbs 0.18 tone of CO2, already included the emissions resulted by the industrial process and the burning of alcohol as a fuel.

Sugar cane sector is the most organized of the country, uses high technology and generates revenues of about R$ 15 billion, affirmed Luis Cortês. According to the professor, the raising of Earth temperature is an important subject that will be discussed in the next 50 or 100 years and must be observed.

Biofuels, according to Cortês, can improve this situation and are an interesting option to the country. According to the professor, if everything is done in the best way, the Earth’s temperature will increase 1.5 degree. If nothing is done, temperature will increase 4 degrees.

-The use of alcohol is the best option – he said.