Public banks have R$411 billion to finance green projects

Brazil has around R$411 billion available for financing green projects through federal public banks in the period between October 2021 and December 2022.

The numbers were presented by the deputy executive secretary of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), Daniel Catelli, in a lecture at the II Environmental Governance Forum, promoted by the Sustainable Development Committee of Rede Governança Brasil (RGB).

The consultations were carried out at Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and Novo Banco de Desenvolvimento, the BRICS bank, a group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “ The amount of resources we have today dedicated to this type of activity is very large. We need good projects, good governance, that is our role, so that this resource can reach the end”, he highlighted.

Catelli participated in the panel on Energy Efficiency x Green Growth and Biomethane. He spoke about the National Green Growth Program, created in 2021 by the Federal Government, which, among other points, seeks to combine economic growth with development with sustainable initiatives, improve the management of natural resources and create green jobs. “We don’t understand the environment dissociated from the human element. The human element is present in the environment, it interacts with it and we need to create positive incentives. Therefore, creating green jobs is important for what we call sustainable development”, defended Catelli.

The actions of the National Green Growth Program are present in several ministries and also aim to promote the conservation of forests and the protection of biodiversity, reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and stimulate the capture of public and private resources from national and international.

The program is managed by the Interministerial Committee on Climate Change and Green Growth (CIMV) and includes several initiatives, such as the National Solid Waste Policy and the National Reverse Logistics Program. These measures seek criteria and procedures to accelerate the closure of landfills and increase recycling to transform waste into green investments. According to the deputy executive secretary of the MMA, Brazil holds the world record for collecting and recycling aluminum cans, with more than 31 billion cans recycled in 2020. Of the 402 thousand tons of cans sold that year, 391 thousand tons were recycled.

Another initiative highlighted by Daniel Catelli was the first energy auction from solid waste (biogas and bimethane), held in 2021 by Minas e Energia, in partnership with the MMA, and which had investments of over R$500 million.

Catelli also spoke about the decree that regulated the national carbon market, published last month, and the decree that established the Federal Strategy for Incentives for the Sustainable Use of Biogas and Biomethane. According to him, Brazil has the potential to generate net revenues in carbon credits of US$16 billion to US$72 billion by 2030.

The Cédula Verde (CPR) and the National Policy for Payment for Environmental Services (PNPSA) were examples of initiatives to encourage the preservation of native forests and vegetation.

The deputy executive secretary of the MMA, Daniel Catelli, is also a federal prosecutor, a master in public administration, a specialist in administrative law and a volunteer specialist at Rede Governança Brasil.

About the forum

The II Environmental Governance Forum, promoted by the Sustainable Development Committee of Rede Governança Brasil (RGB), with support from the Latin American Institute of Governance and Public Compliance (IGCP), was held online on the 6th and 7th of June. On the first day of the event, the panel discussed Green Hydrogen: The Opportunity for the Brazilian Economy. The content of both panels is available on Rede Governança Brasil channel on Youtube.