Approximately 136,000 refuse trucks were in operation in the United States in 2007. These trucks burn approximately 1.2 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year, releasing almost 27 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. In addition to contributing to global climate change, diesel-fueled refuse trucks are one of the most concentrated sources of health-threatening air pollution in most cities. The landfills that they ultimately place their waste in are the second largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 23 percent of these emissions in 2007. At the same time, methane emissions from landfills represent a lost opportunity to capture and use a significant energy resource. Many landfill-gas-to-energy (LFGTE) projects are underway in an attempt to curb emissions and make better use of this energy. The methane that is extracted from these landfills can be converted into a transportation fuel, sold as a pipeline-quality natural gas, operate turbines for electricity, or be flared. The unique relationship that occurs between refuse trucks' constant visits to the landfill and the ability of the landfill itself to produce a transportation fuel creates an ability to accomplish emissions reduction in two sectors with the implementation of using landfill gas to fuel refuse trucks. Landfill owners and operators are very reluctant to invest in large capital LFGTE projects without knowing their long-term feasibility. The costs and benefits associated with each LFGTE project have been presented in such a way that owners/operators can make informed decisions based on economics while also implementing clean energy technology. Owners/operators benefit from larger economic returns, and the citizens of the surrounding cities benefit from better air quality. This research focused on six scenarios: converting landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) for use as a transportation fuel, converting LFG to compressed natural gas (CNG) for use as a transportation fuel, converting LFG to pipeline-quality natural gas, converting LFG to electricity, flaring LFG, and doing nothing. For the test case of a 280-acre landfill, the option of converting LFG to CNG for use as a transportation fuel provided the best benefit-cost ratio at 5.63. Other significant benefit-cost findings involved the LFG-to-LNG option, providing a 5.51 benefit-cost ratio. Currently, the most commonly used LFGTE option of converting LFG to electricity provides only a 1.35 benefit-cost ratio while flaring which is the most common mitigation strategy provides a 1.21, further providing evidence that converting LFG to LNG/CNG for use as a transportation fuel provides greater economic benefits than the most common LFGTE option or mitigation strategy.

No description available.

To overcome the limitations of starch-based and sugar-based ethanol, scientists propose to expand the use of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants. As the U.S. has a large cellulosic biomass production base (Perlack et al., 2006), production of ethanol from cellulosic feedstock and use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline could help promote rural development, reduce green house gases emissions, and increase energy independence. This study focuses on the cost of producing cellulosic ethanol along with the amount of carbon sequestered and emitted using switchgrass as a feedstock. In the first part of this study, willingness to adopt (WTA) switchgrass is evaluated. The amount of farmland available for growing switchgrass was estimated using Probit and Tobit models of switchgrass production survey data developed in the University of Tennessee’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. The estimated results from these two models show that when switchgrass prices increase, the probability of farmers to grow switchgrass and land acreages used for switchgrass production will increase. In the second part of this study, based on the results of estimated, farmland availability within an optimal draw area of 50 miles of a biorefinery and a switchgrass delivery schedule could be determined from the biorefinery’s perspective considering different bale types and storage methods. A cost minimization programming model was developed to estimate the year-round switchgrass delivery schedule within fifty miles of three selected biorefinery locations in the southeastern U.S. Also in this study, the carbon credit effect was considered in the model. The results from the programming model suggest that with the carbon credit paid to biorefineries, more marginal land will be used for growing switchgrass, and carbon will be sequestered in the soil at a level that exceeds emitted carbon by at least 1.5 times. Lower feedstock costs would be available to the biorefineries if a carbon payment was available to producers for net carbon sequestered.

O meio ambiente, habitat natural do ser humano, tem sido degradado com tamanha velocidade que o planeta já não é mais capaz de renovar suas reservas naturais. A mudança climática é sentida nas alterações do tempo, tendo como exemplo as calamidades ocorridas constantemente em diversos países, envolvendo furacões, enchentes e aquecimento global. Este estudo objetiva investigar como são formados os créditos de carbono, suas implicações contábeis e gerenciais e propor uma forma de contabilização desses créditos nas Demonstrações Contábeis das empresas. As abordagens, envolvendo energias renováveis e limpas, visando reduzir a escala de monóxido de carbono que é jogado na atmosfera do planeta, têm sido uma constante no cenário mundial, envolvendo o acordo firmado em Kyoto e suas normatizações impostas às grandes economias, ou seja, os grandes poluidores. A partir do ano de 2008, com a convergência às Normas Internacionais de Contabilidade no Brasil, torna-se imperioso desbravar essa fronteira que envolve o tema mudança climática, elucidando a contabilização dos créditos de carbono. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão bibliográfica. Os resultados demonstram que as poucas normas contábeis existentes não atendem nem normatizam o assunto de forma a elucidá-lo. Visando responder este questionamento e mitigar o descaso das empresas pelo assunto, buscaram-se vários trabalhos na literatura atual, que serviram de base para um modelo proposto de contabilização e evidenciação dos valores ambientais. / The environment, human beings natural habitat, has been degraded with such speed that the planet is no longer capable to renew its natural resources. The climate change is felt in the weather changes, taking as an example the calamities that occur constantly in several countries involving hurricanes, flood sand the global warming. This study aims to investigate how carbon credits are formed, its accounting and management implications and propose a way of accounting for carbon credits in the companiess financial statements. The approaches involving renewable and clean energy, craving to reduce the scale of carbon monoxide that is thrown in the planets atmosphere, have been a constant on the world stage, involving the agreement reached in Kyoto and its norms imposed to large economies, that is, the big polluters .From the year 2008, with the convergence of international accounting standards in Brazil, it is imperative breaking that boundary surrounding the climate change issue, clarifying the accounting of carbon credits. The methodology used was a literature review. The results show that the few existing accounting standards do not meet or standardize the subject in order to elucidate the same. In order to answer this question and mitigate the neglect of the companies by the subject, several studies were found in the current literature that formed the basis for a proposed model of accounting and disclosure of environmental values.

O meio ambiente, habitat natural do ser humano, tem sido degradado com tamanha velocidade que o planeta já não é mais capaz de renovar suas reservas naturais. A mudança climática é sentida nas alterações do tempo, tendo como exemplo as calamidades ocorridas constantemente em diversos países, envolvendo furacões, enchentes e aquecimento global. Este estudo objetiva investigar como são formados os créditos de carbono, suas implicações contábeis e gerenciais e propor uma forma de contabilização desses créditos nas Demonstrações Contábeis das empresas. As abordagens, envolvendo energias renováveis e limpas, visando reduzir a escala de monóxido de carbono que é jogado na atmosfera do planeta, têm sido uma constante no cenário mundial, envolvendo o acordo firmado em Kyoto e suas normatizações impostas às grandes economias, ou seja, os grandes poluidores. A partir do ano de 2008, com a convergência às Normas Internacionais de Contabilidade no Brasil, torna-se imperioso desbravar essa fronteira que envolve o tema mudança climática, elucidando a contabilização dos créditos de carbono. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão bibliográfica. Os resultados demonstram que as poucas normas contábeis existentes não atendem nem normatizam o assunto de forma a elucidá-lo. Visando responder este questionamento e mitigar o descaso das empresas pelo assunto, buscaram-se vários trabalhos na literatura atual, que serviram de base para um modelo proposto de contabilização e evidenciação dos valores ambientais. / The environment, human beings natural habitat, has been degraded with such speed that the planet is no longer capable to renew its natural resources. The climate change is felt in the weather changes, taking as an example the calamities that occur constantly in several countries involving hurricanes, flood sand the global warming. This study aims to investigate how carbon credits are formed, its accounting and management implications and propose a way of accounting for carbon credits in the companiess financial statements. The approaches involving renewable and clean energy, craving to reduce the scale of carbon monoxide that is thrown in the planets atmosphere, have been a constant on the world stage, involving the agreement reached in Kyoto and its norms imposed to large economies, that is, the big polluters .From the year 2008, with the convergence of international accounting standards in Brazil, it is imperative breaking that boundary surrounding the climate change issue, clarifying the accounting of carbon credits. The methodology used was a literature review. The results show that the few existing accounting standards do not meet or standardize the subject in order to elucidate the same. In order to answer this question and mitigate the neglect of the companies by the subject, several studies were found in the current literature that formed the basis for a proposed model of accounting and disclosure of environmental values.

This thesis analyzes the Suruí Forest Carbon Project in the context of settler colonialism. By exploring the three core principles of settler colonialism as outlined by settler colonial scholar Patrick Wolfe: access to land, elimination of the native, and the understanding that settler colonialism is a structure and not an event, I will demonstrate how each one of the three principles helped contribute to creating the context within which the Suruí Forest Carbon Project was situated. By taking this approach, I will be able to demonstrate the limits and possibilities of the project for the Suruí indigenous peoples. This analysis will allow me to present the challenges and contradictions associated with implementing REDD+ carbon credit projects in settler states such as Brazil and how, due to settler colonialism's structural limitations, these types of projects could be a possibility of providing some agency for indigenous peoples trying to find ways to assert their autonomy. The Suruí Forest Carbon Project was the first and still one of the only examples of an indigenous-led carbon emissions reduction project operating through the sale of carbon credits. During the first five years the project was operational, it drastically helped reduce deforestation levels within the Suruí's territory, leading many to deem the project a success. However, in 2015 and 2016, following the discovery of gold and diamonds on the Suruí's territory, the project's sight was eventually overrun by garimpeiros (small-scale gold miners), and in 2018 the project was suspended, leading some to consider it a failure. Therefore, I will present some of the challenges that arise when neoliberal conservation efforts, such as carbon credit projects, struggle to address factors outside their initial control, in this case, settler colonialism. Also, by analyzing the different components going into the project's creation, implementation, and suspension, I will present how carbon credit projects working directly with indigenous peoples can successfully halt deforestation for limited periods. But how settler colonialism makes these groups of people and their land vulnerable, which can help contribute to projects being undermined. Through my analysis, I will help demonstrate some factors that impact these types of projects' longevity and some things that would need to be implemented in the future to succeed in the long term. / Master of Arts / This thesis analyzes the Suruí Forest Carbon Project in the context of settler colonialism. My understanding of settler colonialism comes from settler colonial scholar Patrick Wolfe who believes that this specific type of colonialism has three core principles that help distinguish it from other colonial types and explain why anti-indigenous logics can continue. The three principles are access to land, the elimination of the native, and the understanding that settler colonialism is a structure and not an event. These three principles will serve as the core framework for my analysis. The Suruí Forest Carbon Project was the world's first indigenous-led carbon emissions reduction project operated by the indigenous peoples selling REDD+ carbon credits to buyers in order to achieve finances. The project occurred on the Suruí people's territory within the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Land, comprising a 250,000-ha site in the Amazon's "arc of deforestation" bordering the Brazilian states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso. The project was implemented on June 9, 2009, and in 2012 received its validation to sell carbon credits under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). Between 2009 and 2014, the project drastically helped limit the deforestation occurring within the project's site, causing many to deem it a success. However, trouble began in 2015 and 2016 following the discovery of gold and diamonds on the Suruí's territory. Shortly after this discovery, the territory began to be infiltrated by garimpeiros (small-scale gold miners), which led to increased levels of deforestation on the project's site. In 2018, the project could no longer meet the standards it needed to maintain to sell the credits and was suspended indefinitely. Therefore, based on my understanding of settler colonialism's three core principles, I will analyze the limits and possibilities of the project for the Suruí indigenous peoples to present how all three principles played a hand in creating the conditions within which the Suruí Forest Carbon Project was situated and how that impacted the indigenous peoples involved in the project ability to have agency over their forests.

Desde a revolução industrial, ações não sustentáveis provenientes das atividades industriais, econômicas e de consumo têm provocado mudanças na biosfera devido ao aumento dos gases de efeito estufa (GEE) na atmosfera, o que faz com que a mudança climática seja um dos maiores desafios do século XXI. Frente a isso, foi adotado em dezembro de 1997 o Protocolo de Quioto, que prevê em seu artigo 12 o Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo (MDL). Sob este mecanismo enquadram-se atividades de projeto que propõem a técnica de biodigestores em granjas para captação e queima do biogás produzido como resultado da degradação do dejeto. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a viabilidade de implantação de biodigestores para tratamento de resíduos da suinocultura em diferentes escalas considerando dois cenários: (1) a inserção da atividade do projeto no Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo e (2) a geração própria de energia elétrica a partir do biogás, considerando os três sistemas de produção Unidade Produtora de Terminação (UPT), Unidade Produtora de Leitão (UPL) e Unidade Produtora Ciclo Completo (UPC). Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza exploratória-descritiva realizada com base em análise documental e entrevistas com atores chaves do mercado de carbono. Após o levantamento destas informações, foram calculados os indicadores financeiros para uma análise comparativa dos cenários avaliados. Observou-se que a rentabilidade financeira nos diferentes tamanhos de plantéis é maior para o cenário de geração e auto-consumo de energia elétrica do que para a inserção da atividade do projeto no MDL. / Since the industrial revolution, unsustainable industrial, economic and consumption activities have caused changes in the biosphere due to increase of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, which means that climate change is one of the biggest challenges of XXI century. In face of that, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December of 1997, which stipulates in its article 12 the Clean Development Mechanism. Under it is included biodigestor techniques to capture and burn the biogas produced, as a result of the pig waste degradation. This study proposes analyze the feasibility of implementation of biodigestors for residues treatment in the swine farms at different scales by considering two scenarios: (1) the insertion of the project activity in the Clean Development Mechanism and (2) the generation of electrical energy from biogas for the three production systems (UPT, UPL and UPC). This study is a descriptive exploratory research based on documental analyzes and interviews hold with key actors involved in the carbon market. Then, to compare the feasibility from both scenarios evaluated in this study, financial indicators were calculated. As result, the finance profitability of different scales considered in this research is higher for self- generation and power consumption than for CDM project activity.

O Protocolo de Quioto institucionalizou políticas de metas de redução das emissões de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) aos países signatários que fazem parte do Anexo I. Para efetivar essas políticas foram estabelecidos três mecanismos de flexibilização: implementação conjunta (IC), mecanismo de desenvolvimento limpo (MDL) e comércio internacional de emissões (CIE). Os países com economia em desenvolvimento contribuem através do MDL, ao desenvolver projetos que geram créditos de carbono. A União Europeia criou o Esquema de Comércio de Emissões (EU ETS) para comercializar esses créditos, tornando-se o principal ambiente mundial do mercado de créditos de carbono. Desde a criação do EU ETS, o volume de negócios tem crescido anualmente. Entretanto, até final de 2012 havia a incerteza sobre a continuidade do Protocolo de Quioto, quando na Conferência de Doha (COP-18) foi decidido que esse acordo continuará até o ano de 2020 e um novo acordo mundial será negociado a partir de 2013. Sobre esse novo acordo há discussões sobre quais países devem ter metas de emissões de GEE, quais setores e metodologias são elegíveis para os projetos de MDL e como devem funcionar. Ainda, discute se haverá demanda pelos créditos de carbono provenientes de projetos de MDL. Neste contexto, esta tese teve como objetivo analisar as políticas do mercado de créditos de carbono, considerando a demanda desses créditos pela Europa para o período de 2013 a 2020 e a contribuição do Brasil para a compensação das emissões excedentes de GEE, a partir de um modelo baseado em dinâmica de sistemas. A hipótese dinâmica do modelo sugere um comportamento de equilíbrio entre as emissões de GEE na Europa e os créditos de carbono provenientes dos projetos de MDL. A hipótese dinâmica também sugeriu cinco pressupostos, cujos resultados foram: i) o produto interno bruto da Europa não é o único fator causal das emissões de GEE; ii) a Europa tem condições de atingir suas metas de redução de emissões de GEE até o ano de 2020; iii) o aumento do preço dos créditos de carbono não tem relação causal direta com o aumento das emissões de GEE; iv) o preço dos créditos de carbono não tem relação de causa-efeito com a quantidade de projetos de MDL desenvolvidos no Brasil e; v) é ínfima a contribuição do Brasil para a compensação das emissões de GEE na Europa. As análises das políticas vigentes no mercado de créditos de carbono indicam que até 2020: i) a emissão de GEE pela Europa não terá grandes variações, reforçando que as metas de redução destas emissões serão atingidas; ii) o Brasil, como país hospedeiro de projetos de MDL, reduzirá ainda mais a sua participação neste mercado confirmando expectativas da Convenção Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre Mudança do Clima e; iii) não é esperado um aumento na taxa de sucesso na captação de GEE pelos projetos de MDL desenvolvidos no Brasil. As principais conclusões são: o comportamento de equilíbrio do modelo é congruente ao propósito do Protocolo de Quioto; a Europa tem papel dominante no mercado de carbono que, no longo prazo, pode preponderar sobre as políticas a serem traçadas para o novo acordo mundial e; se as políticas brasileiras de apoio aos projetos de MDL forem mantidas, a participação do Brasil no mercado de carbono tende ser cada vez menor e atingir o patamar de economia limpa e sustentável. / The Kyoto Protocol established policies of targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by countries that are parties to Annex I. In order to put these policies in practice, three flexible mechanisms have been set: Joint Implementation (JI), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Emissions Trading (CIE). Countries with developing economies contribute through CDM, by developing projects that generate carbon credits. The European Union has created the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to trade these credits, making it the main platform of the worldwide carbon credit market. Since the creation of the EU ETS, turnover has increased annually. However, until late 2012 there was uncertainty about the continuity of the Kyoto Protocol. It was decided in the Doha Conference (COP-18) that the agreement will continue until 2020. The COP-18 also decided that a new worldwide agreement will be negotiated starting in 2013. There have been discussions about this new agreement over which countries should have GHG emissions targets, which sectors and methodologies are eligible for CDM projects and their scope. Moreover, it is unknown whether there will be demand for carbon credits generated by CDM projects. In this context, this thesis aims to analyze the policies of the carbon credit market, considering demand for these credits in Europe between 2013 and 2020, and Brazil’s contribution to offset excess GHC emissions, using a model based on system dynamics. The dynamic hypothesis of the model suggests equilibrium between GHG emissions in Europe and carbon credits originating from CDM projects. It also suggests five assumptions, and the results were: i) the gross domestic product od Europe is not the only causal factor of GHG emissions, ii) Europe is able to meet its targets to reduce GHG emissions by 2020; iii) the higher price of carbon credits has no cause-effect relationship with the increase in GHG emissions; iv) the price of carbon credits has no cause-effect relationship with the number of CDM projects developed in Brazil, and; v) Brazil's contribution towards offsetting GHG emissions in Europe is minimal. Analyses of the prevailing policies in the carbon market indicate that by 2020: i) GHG emissions in Europe will not vary widely, reinforcing that the targets of reducing these emissions will be achieved, ii) Brazil, as a host country of CDM projects, will further reduce its participation in the carbon market, confirming expectations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and; iii) an increase is not expected in the success rate of capturing GHG by CDM projects developed in Brazil. The main conclusions are: goal-seeking behavior of the model is consistent with the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol, Europe plays a dominant role in the carbon market, which may prevail in the long term over the policies of the new worldwide agreement, and, if Brazilian policies for CDM projects are maintained, Brazil's participation in the carbon market tends to steadily decline and reach a plateau of a clean and sustainable economy.

O Protocolo de Quioto institucionalizou políticas de metas de redução das emissões de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) aos países signatários que fazem parte do Anexo I. Para efetivar essas políticas foram estabelecidos três mecanismos de flexibilização: implementação conjunta (IC), mecanismo de desenvolvimento limpo (MDL) e comércio internacional de emissões (CIE). Os países com economia em desenvolvimento contribuem através do MDL, ao desenvolver projetos que geram créditos de carbono. A União Europeia criou o Esquema de Comércio de Emissões (EU ETS) para comercializar esses créditos, tornando-se o principal ambiente mundial do mercado de créditos de carbono. Desde a criação do EU ETS, o volume de negócios tem crescido anualmente. Entretanto, até final de 2012 havia a incerteza sobre a continuidade do Protocolo de Quioto, quando na Conferência de Doha (COP-18) foi decidido que esse acordo continuará até o ano de 2020 e um novo acordo mundial será negociado a partir de 2013. Sobre esse novo acordo há discussões sobre quais países devem ter metas de emissões de GEE, quais setores e metodologias são elegíveis para os projetos de MDL e como devem funcionar. Ainda, discute se haverá demanda pelos créditos de carbono provenientes de projetos de MDL. Neste contexto, esta tese teve como objetivo analisar as políticas do mercado de créditos de carbono, considerando a demanda desses créditos pela Europa para o período de 2013 a 2020 e a contribuição do Brasil para a compensação das emissões excedentes de GEE, a partir de um modelo baseado em dinâmica de sistemas. A hipótese dinâmica do modelo sugere um comportamento de equilíbrio entre as emissões de GEE na Europa e os créditos de carbono provenientes dos projetos de MDL. A hipótese dinâmica também sugeriu cinco pressupostos, cujos resultados foram: i) o produto interno bruto da Europa não é o único fator causal das emissões de GEE; ii) a Europa tem condições de atingir suas metas de redução de emissões de GEE até o ano de 2020; iii) o aumento do preço dos créditos de carbono não tem relação causal direta com o aumento das emissões de GEE; iv) o preço dos créditos de carbono não tem relação de causa-efeito com a quantidade de projetos de MDL desenvolvidos no Brasil e; v) é ínfima a contribuição do Brasil para a compensação das emissões de GEE na Europa. As análises das políticas vigentes no mercado de créditos de carbono indicam que até 2020: i) a emissão de GEE pela Europa não terá grandes variações, reforçando que as metas de redução destas emissões serão atingidas; ii) o Brasil, como país hospedeiro de projetos de MDL, reduzirá ainda mais a sua participação neste mercado confirmando expectativas da Convenção Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre Mudança do Clima e; iii) não é esperado um aumento na taxa de sucesso na captação de GEE pelos projetos de MDL desenvolvidos no Brasil. As principais conclusões são: o comportamento de equilíbrio do modelo é congruente ao propósito do Protocolo de Quioto; a Europa tem papel dominante no mercado de carbono que, no longo prazo, pode preponderar sobre as políticas a serem traçadas para o novo acordo mundial e; se as políticas brasileiras de apoio aos projetos de MDL forem mantidas, a participação do Brasil no mercado de carbono tende ser cada vez menor e atingir o patamar de economia limpa e sustentável. / The Kyoto Protocol established policies of targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by countries that are parties to Annex I. In order to put these policies in practice, three flexible mechanisms have been set: Joint Implementation (JI), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Emissions Trading (CIE). Countries with developing economies contribute through CDM, by developing projects that generate carbon credits. The European Union has created the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to trade these credits, making it the main platform of the worldwide carbon credit market. Since the creation of the EU ETS, turnover has increased annually. However, until late 2012 there was uncertainty about the continuity of the Kyoto Protocol. It was decided in the Doha Conference (COP-18) that the agreement will continue until 2020. The COP-18 also decided that a new worldwide agreement will be negotiated starting in 2013. There have been discussions about this new agreement over which countries should have GHG emissions targets, which sectors and methodologies are eligible for CDM projects and their scope. Moreover, it is unknown whether there will be demand for carbon credits generated by CDM projects. In this context, this thesis aims to analyze the policies of the carbon credit market, considering demand for these credits in Europe between 2013 and 2020, and Brazil’s contribution to offset excess GHC emissions, using a model based on system dynamics. The dynamic hypothesis of the model suggests equilibrium between GHG emissions in Europe and carbon credits originating from CDM projects. It also suggests five assumptions, and the results were: i) the gross domestic product od Europe is not the only causal factor of GHG emissions, ii) Europe is able to meet its targets to reduce GHG emissions by 2020; iii) the higher price of carbon credits has no cause-effect relationship with the increase in GHG emissions; iv) the price of carbon credits has no cause-effect relationship with the number of CDM projects developed in Brazil, and; v) Brazil's contribution towards offsetting GHG emissions in Europe is minimal. Analyses of the prevailing policies in the carbon market indicate that by 2020: i) GHG emissions in Europe will not vary widely, reinforcing that the targets of reducing these emissions will be achieved, ii) Brazil, as a host country of CDM projects, will further reduce its participation in the carbon market, confirming expectations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and; iii) an increase is not expected in the success rate of capturing GHG by CDM projects developed in Brazil. The main conclusions are: goal-seeking behavior of the model is consistent with the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol, Europe plays a dominant role in the carbon market, which may prevail in the long term over the policies of the new worldwide agreement, and, if Brazilian policies for CDM projects are maintained, Brazil's participation in the carbon market tends to steadily decline and reach a plateau of a clean and sustainable economy.

Desde a revolução industrial, ações não sustentáveis provenientes das atividades industriais, econômicas e de consumo têm provocado mudanças na biosfera devido ao aumento dos gases de efeito estufa (GEE) na atmosfera, o que faz com que a mudança climática seja um dos maiores desafios do século XXI. Frente a isso, foi adotado em dezembro de 1997 o Protocolo de Quioto, que prevê em seu artigo 12 o Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo (MDL). Sob este mecanismo enquadram-se atividades de projeto que propõem a técnica de biodigestores em granjas para captação e queima do biogás produzido como resultado da degradação do dejeto. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a viabilidade de implantação de biodigestores para tratamento de resíduos da suinocultura em diferentes escalas considerando dois cenários: (1) a inserção da atividade do projeto no Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo e (2) a geração própria de energia elétrica a partir do biogás, considerando os três sistemas de produção Unidade Produtora de Terminação (UPT), Unidade Produtora de Leitão (UPL) e Unidade Produtora Ciclo Completo (UPC). Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza exploratória-descritiva realizada com base em análise documental e entrevistas com atores chaves do mercado de carbono. Após o levantamento destas informações, foram calculados os indicadores financeiros para uma análise comparativa dos cenários avaliados. Observou-se que a rentabilidade financeira nos diferentes tamanhos de plantéis é maior para o cenário de geração e auto-consumo de energia elétrica do que para a inserção da atividade do projeto no MDL. / Since the industrial revolution, unsustainable industrial, economic and consumption activities have caused changes in the biosphere due to increase of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, which means that climate change is one of the biggest challenges of XXI century. In face of that, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December of 1997, which stipulates in its article 12 the Clean Development Mechanism. Under it is included biodigestor techniques to capture and burn the biogas produced, as a result of the pig waste degradation. This study proposes analyze the feasibility of implementation of biodigestors for residues treatment in the swine farms at different scales by considering two scenarios: (1) the insertion of the project activity in the Clean Development Mechanism and (2) the generation of electrical energy from biogas for the three production systems (UPT, UPL and UPC). This study is a descriptive exploratory research based on documental analyzes and interviews hold with key actors involved in the carbon market. Then, to compare the feasibility from both scenarios evaluated in this study, financial indicators were calculated. As result, the finance profitability of different scales considered in this research is higher for self- generation and power consumption than for CDM project activity.