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Environment
What is the environment, and why is it so important to preserve it?
Environment: Meaning and Importance
The most widely recognized definition of the environment is the one used by the United Nations (UN) and Brazilian environmental legislation, which states that it is the set of biological, chemical, and physical elements and processes that create the conditions necessary for sustaining life on planet Earth, both for nature and for human beings.
The environment consists of the biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere, from which we obtain water, air, food sources, and raw materials—elements that are fundamental to survival and, consequently, to the development of the global economy. This is what makes its conservation so important. With environmental degradation, planet Earth and everyone who lives here are at risk of extinction.
How can we protect the environment?
These practices aim to protect nature from damage that causes, for example, animal extinction, forest degradation, air pollution, global warming, contamination of water, rivers, and oceans, the greenhouse effect, and climate change.
According to a survey by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), nearly one-third of Brazilian consumers (23%) have already changed their consumption habits due to environmental concerns, and 41% consider these changes to be permanent.
There are several important and easy steps you can take in your daily life to contribute to environmental preservation: composting; conserving electricity; avoiding car use and opting for public transportation; reusing items or buying only what you need; collecting used cooking oil; and choosing to use services or buy products from companies committed to environmental sustainability.
Environmental problems
Environmental problems arise for a variety of reasons, but the most common are: increased industrial activity in urban centers; the expansion of urbanized areas; improper management of natural resources; and the clearing of new areas for agricultural and livestock development.
These issues are often viewed as beneficial to societal development, but it is essential to address each one with careful consideration of the potential harm—particularly in the medium and long term—to the environment during the process.
Environmental Conservation and Sustainability
Environmental preservation is closely linked to sustainability, which enables the safe use of natural resources without harming future generations or the future of nature. Therefore, when discussing environmental conservation, we also address sustainable practices that are essential for ensuring the continued availability of resources vital to life, such as drinking water, abundant raw materials, and fertile soil.
Major global agreements and conferences
To ensure that companies—the biggest contributors to environmental damage—and societies commit to sustainable initiatives and environmental conservation, government agencies around the world have come together to develop agreements and hold conferences that monitor actions in each country.
Around the World
International agreements are documents created and signed at conferences and meetings focused on issues related to environmental preservation and climate change. The terms are drafted to ensure effectiveness in mitigating or preventing one or more environmental problems or in promoting a policy or set of principles that must be followed by signatory countries.
Some of the major agreements signed in recent years include:
Kyoto Protocol (1997): signed during the Third Conference of the Parties (COP 3), it addresses air pollution and its effects on the environment;
Johannesburg Declaration (2002): adopted at the Rio+10 summit, held in the South African city;
Paris Agreement (2015): aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming;
2030 Agenda: a document prepared by the United Nations that aims to implement an action plan with 17 goals to achieve sustainable development by the year 2030.
In Brazil
The Ministry of the Environment (MMA), established in 1992, is the agency responsible for understanding, protecting, and restoring the environment in Brazil. The National Environmental Policy (PNMA), Law No. 6938, dated August 31, 1981, is one of the main legal instruments currently in force, aimed at preserving, improving, and restoring the quality of the environment to promote quality of life, socioeconomic development, and other national interests and those of Brazilian citizens.
World Environment Week
During the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972, it was decided that June 5 would be celebrated as World Environment Day. Since then, various initiatives have been carried out on this date to raise public awareness about environmental preservation.
Due to the numerous positive responses, in 1981, through Decree 86.028, the celebration was expanded, and the first week of June was designated as World Environment Week.
The Role of Businesses in Environmental Conservation
Organizations play an important role in preserving the ecosystem. Raising awareness, transforming production processes, changing everyday behaviors, and shifting the mindset of senior management are key to transforming companies and making them more environmentally conscious and sustainable.
Much of the pollution that contributes to the greenhouse effect and the actions that harm the environment stem from organizations’ production processes. Simple sustainability measures already make a difference and can greatly contribute to environmental preservation.
Companies committed to ESG initiatives—an acronym for Environmental, Social, and Governance—benefit themselves while helping humanity and nature.
One of Neoenergia’s core values is respect for the environment, and this is incorporated into its management through corporate policies on sustainable development. To align the environmental dimension with its sustainable business model and with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the company has an environmental management system that enables the development of an ongoing, comprehensive, and consistent assessment of its environmental performance.
Neoenergia Environmental Guidelines
Protect the environment and halt the loss of biodiversity
Combating climate change and its effects
Ensure sustainable patterns of production and consumption
Strengthen partnerships with stakeholders for sustainable development
Committed to environmental preservation and combating climate change, Neoenergia is dedicated to initiatives that measure and demonstrate its efforts, such as its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory, verified by independent auditors. The survey, conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, covers Neoenergia’s energy generation from renewable sources (wind and hydroelectric), deregulated sources (thermal), and grid operations (transmission and distribution).