Protecting the Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Protecting the Environment - Research Paper Example As a result of the industrial revolution and globalization, however, today, we are used to a lifestyle that promotes all these ills. However, they are also promoted by governments that work in collaboration with industries that tend to pollute the environment and exploit natural resources in an unsustainable manner. The initiative and the drive to clean up the mess, therefore, need to come from governments across the world. This has been slow in coming but slowly, across the globe, there has been recognition of the political nature of the problem and the need for a political solution for this problem. This paper shall focus on the initiatives that the Brazil government has taken so as to decrease pollution that occurs as a result of the gases that are emitted by vehicles that run on fossil fuels. An energy crisis that occurred in Brazil during the 1970s made the government of this region sit up and take notice of the problem and made it recognize the need for finding a solution that would be long-lasting, to this problem (Hofstrand). This crisis was the result of the scarcity of fossil fuels during the 70s that led a lot of countries to look for means to reduce their dependence on imports for fuel. While most countries switched back to fossil fuels as soon as the crisis was over, Brazil opted for a more lasting and environment-friendly option. In this move, we see how the political will of the government was important in the setting up of the policy that has today reaped rich rewards. The Brazilian government is far ahead of other governments in the sophistication of its machinery and the availability of ethanol- based fuel. The ethanol fuel industry would not have reached the heights that it has reached today if not for the will of successive Brazilian governments that have maintained the production of this form of fuel as a priority and initially offered heavy subsidies to this industry as a result of which many car- manufacturers started producing automobile s that ran on ethanol. By the middle of the 1980s, most of the cars that were being produced in Brazil were ones that ran on ethanol. The response that the private automobile firms made to the scenario that developed was one that was encouraging but was based on the market forces of supply and demand. This scenario came about because of the commercial viability of ethanol- based fuels for the consumers; a situation that evolved out of the government’s policy of providing subsidies to the ethanol fuel industry (Thompson). This made the option of ethanol a profitable one for the consumer classes which in turn influenced the automobile industry to switch to the production of vehicles that ran partially or completely on ethanol. The government’s policy that subsidized the production of these fuels is what was instrumental in the present situation where private players have stepped into the fray, thereby allowing the government to spend more on welfare projects that further enhance the standard of living of the Brazilians. The policies that were followed by the Brazilian government, thus, have enabled the protection of the environment, without compromising upon the goals of development that are important for a developing country like Brazil. This again goes to prove that the protection of