Proposta de metodologia qualitativa para deliberação colegiada de licenças ambientais no Estado da Paraíba

Abstract

Environmental licensing is an instrument for controlling public environmental policy in Brazil. It is a decision-making process, which depends on available and organized information, to facilitate the analysis of the feasibility and sustainability of these activities with a view to enabling sustainable development. Indicators can be used to facilitate understanding of the negative and positive impacts of anthropogenic environmental intervention. These indicators simplify a complex reality to support decision making and monitor sustainability from the presence or absence of environmental intervention. This research aimed to elaborate and propose a methodology for the deliberations of the Environmental Protection Council (COPAM) with the process of obtaining and maintaining environmental licenses in the State of Paraíba. The preservation, conservation and / or control of environmental degradation depend on State actions and decisions. The object of study was COPAM's decision-making process regarding the deliberation of environmental licenses. The study carried out an analysis of documentary content identifying the characteristics of this process proposing improvements from the theory. The data sources were the opinions of the Environmental Administration Superintendency (SUDEMA), Environmental Impact Studies prepared for the extraction of limestone in the State of Paraíba, Internal Regiment and Minutes of COPAM meeting. Based on the verification of environmental licenses issued for the exploitation of limestone in the State of Paraíba, COPAM's decisions are based on an instrumental rationality focused on a legal compliance analysis. It is pointed to a limited decision when it is not possible to identify how the performance of the environmental management practices favors the viability of the environmental intervention. The characteristics identified in COPAM's decision-making process point to weaknesses in the analysis of the feasibility of the presence of the polluting activity, such as: the absence of a collegiate decision-making model in addition to legal compliance; dependence on the individuality and competence of counselors; the large number of cases that are submitted for consideration at each meeting; the presentation of the multidisciplinary information for the analysis of the directors; the absence of the use of indicators that subsidize decisions. The research ratifies that the issuance and homologation of licenses is a complex decision and requires indicators to simplify and subsidize decision makers. To make environmental intervention feasible and promote a more sustainable development, it is necessary to improve environmental licensing as a control instrument. The methodology aims to favor the decision-making process of COPAM, as well as the board's performance as inspector of the performance of environmental management practices required as in the licensing constraints.