As we enter the second half of 2023, with the main doubts about how the political transition in Brazil would be settled, and possible repercussions with themes such as the price policy to be adopted by Petrobras in the new government, in addition to the challenges of the energy transition in our country, the time has come to reflect on what our perspectives are and that, in some proportion, they can guide, in a certain way, the public policies that involve our thriving bioenergy sector.

In parallel with the entire Brazilian internal context, the world is making great strides within its challenges of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, perhaps not at the speed with which the most radical environmentalists would like, but, on a regular basis, indicating a predilection, which seems to have been adopted by a good portion of the more developed countries: the electrification of engines, to the detriment of combustion engines.

In this context, we have two complementary alternatives that, if well applied by our leaders, could make Brazil the protagonist of a new era, or just a supporting player and mere spectator of world changes.

For decades, Brazil has been a reference when the topic is clean energy matrix. Even our metropolis São Paulo, compared to other megacities in the world, boasts one of the cleanest air on the planet, in terms of population and motor vehicles per capita. This is largely due to the route chosen in Brazil, since the 1970s, to promote a clean, renewable and low-carbon biofuel: ethanol.

So what are our challenges in the near future? I think that ethanol is a great watershed for the current energy transition process in Brazil and in the world. Whether as a gasoline additive; either as a fuel cell source; and even in the raw material of green hydrogen, so well studied today as an environmental and sustainable solution.

Electrification routes based on the well-to-wheel concept show our energy efficiency far superior to those adopted in European countries, for example, where the source of energy that will supply cars, or even collective mobility vehicles, are fossil and polluting.

Showing the world our role has now become our main homework. The mobility transition process will surely take a few more decades to be completely completed, and until then, what route will be taken?

India, for example, an Asian giant of almost continental dimensions, has already found its “alternative” in this decarbonization process in ethanol. Even moving towards electrification, the Indian government also determined to increase the mixture of ethanol in its gasoline, following the example of what Brazil has been doing for decades, and, therefore, will reap very positive results in reducing its emissions.

Other countries have also adopted this migration strategy, up to complete electrification. But we must anticipate and be a step ahead in these strategies, also showing that the use of ethanol should not be interpreted only as strategic in the process of changing from combustion engines to electric ones.

“Selling” flex-fuel hybrid engine technologies is our duty as a State and our obligation as lovers of bioenergy. We cannot watch, from a balcony, as the world moves towards an electrification process that only transfers emissions from exhaust pipes to coal-fired power plants, without thereby resolving the serious problems of global warming.

Over more than 100 years, in the history of the automobile, many were the technological “solutions” that developed the current stage of energy efficiency, pollutant emissions and vehicle safety. In this context, today, it is more than essential that the theme be analyzed from the perspective of sustainability, low-carbon economy and energy security, with a global vision that considers local solutions, very characteristic of each nation.

In the meantime, including, and still within the tripod of the concept of environmental, social and corporate governance, we have to consider in this equation, the social and economic character of our bioenergetic chain, responsible, today, for a good part of the Gross Domestic Product of the Brazilian agribusiness and generator of millions of decent jobs. This macro look can reveal to us what the speed and implementation of the trends to be adopted should be.

Mister, however, plays a leading role for Brazil, participating in world forums on the subject and exposing our results, and our vision, for the future of the global energy transition.

We cannot just sit back on the excellent national numbers, such as the privilege of having 80% of our energy matrix from renewable sources (hydraulics, biomass, wind and solar), and observe the rest of the world, with 73% of renewables, from natural gas, petroleum, coal and nuclear, moving towards what they believe to be an effective “alternative”, but which has already proved to be imprudent, as it only transfers the source of emissions.

The question is simple, again: will we be protagonists or mere spectators? With the word our political representatives...