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Assessing the environmental impacts of Brazil's biofuel sector

Mathematical analysis reveals that within Brazil's agriculture and livestock industry, the biofuels sector is most heavily reliant on other sectors with high greenhouse gas emissions.

Brazil is a world leader in biofuel production, but the environmental sustainability of the sector has faced criticism due to its impacts on deforestation, water use, and biodiversity, especially in the Amazon rainforest.

In an analysis published in The European Physical Journal B, researchers led by Eder Johnson de Area Leão Pereira at the Federal Institute of Maranhão reveal new insights into the biofuel industry's dependence on high greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sectors.

The study shows that within Brazil's agriculture and livestock industry, the biofuel sector relies most heavily on other sectors that contribute significantly to GHG emissions. The team hope their results could contribute to discussions about threats the sector poses to the Amazon rainforest, and its overall impact on global climate change.

Today, Brazil produces an abundance of biofuels from sources such as sugarcane, vegetable oils, and animal fats. In 2018 alone, production reached more than 33 billion liters of ethanol and 5.3 billion liters of biodiesel, making a substantial contribution to the production of renewable fuels.

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