Brazilian energy and carbon footprints: structural changes and sectoral contributions to climate change

Achieving the goals and targets of sustainable development depends not only on structural changes in national economies but also on trade interdependencies between countries However, understanding how economic sectors affect or may be affected by domestic and foreign energy matrix by imports from commercial partners is a challenge. This study aims to assess structural changes in the sectoral energy matrix, considering the renewability of energy sources and the contributions of imports and exports to achieving the targets set out in international environmental agreements. Structural changes were assessed using an input–output model to calculate and evaluate the evolution of Brazilian energy and carbon footprints in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. The share of renewable energies in total energy consumption in Brazil increased from 40.7% in 2000 to 47.6% in 2015, compared to 11.2% and 11.7% by global standards. Renewable sources accounted for 25.7% of the energy footprint in 2000 and 30.2% in 2015, compared to 21.6% and 26.5% of the national carbon footprint. The structural changes in the Brazilian economy reveal that, although increasing total energy consumption and total emissions, there is an increase in renewable energy sources consumption, which positively impacts GHG emissions. Renewable energy sources such as hydropower and biofuels have favored the emissions patterns of sectors such as industry and services, and transport, respectively. However, as Brazilian imports are intensive in non-renewable energy, incorporating them to fulfill the sector's intermediate and final demand, the Brazilian energy and carbon footprints become more polluted, as noted in the Agribusiness aggregate.