Agriculture's Energy: The Trouble with Ethanol in Brazil's Green Revolution

The National Alcohol Program (Proalcool) was a government initiative in Brazil created in the 1970s to incentivize ethanol production and reduce gasoline consumption. It was the world's largest oil-substitution and renewable-energy program at the time, but it ultimately resulted in impoverished workers, environmental degradation, and persistent hunger.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

The history of a modernizing Brazil, written by Thomas D. Rogers, delves into the intriguing tale of how a crucial government program, established during the 1970s under the nation's military regime, aimed to harness the energy derived from sugarcane agriculture to drive the country's economic growth. This program, known as Proalcool (National Alcohol Program), was a well-thought-out economic strategy designed to promote the production of ethanol and decrease gasoline consumption. As Brazil's capacity expanded and international oil shocks persisted, the regime's planners intensified their commitment to Proalcool. Drawing funding from international lenders and attracting interest from other oil-dependent countries, Proalcool briefly emerged as the world's largest oil-substitution and renewable-energy program.

In this book, Rogers takes readers on a comprehensive journey, exploring how Proalcool experimented with and showcased the consolidation of government, agribusiness, large planters, agricultural and chemical research companies, and oil producers. This exploration extends into a deep investigation of the trajectory of Brazil's Green Revolution. The ethanol boom, which characterized this arc, serves as a focal point, but Rogers maintains a broader perspective, considering the broader development imperatives. He vividly portrays the choices and trade-offs that led to the adoption of an energy strategy that ultimately resulted in detrimental consequences. Proalcool, unfortunately, created a significant segment of impoverished workers, severe environmental degradation, and persistent hunger. The full impact of the Green Revolution-fueled consolidation continues to be felt today.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469670447