Abstract
The frontier of decarbonization strategy offers unprecedented potential for transformative redesign of approaches to economic growth. The winners in the race to decarbonize are likely those that develop a cooperative strategy across their public and private sectors. Brazil and Germany, two countries at the forefront of fossil fuel consumption and trade, may serve as contrasting case studies through which broader archetypes for carbon output mitigation and economic development are generated. The study of these two powerhouses aims to assess the social, political, and economic constraints that have inhibited initiation of effective environmental policy and practices in Brazil. While the adoption of new technologies and the institution of economic strategies that provide for alternatives to fossil fuel consumption are certainly part of the recipe for success, public-private coordination appears to be another lesson learned from the German model. This comparative research will evaluate unrealized capabilities and unused capital while weighing losses from stranded assets and transitory investment in benefit cost analysis. It will also consider novel approaches to government funding such as alternative energy production and financing as well as land-use optimization planning. Mechanisms gleaned from these research methods may be of particular use to developing economies such as Brazil, but they also have applicability to post-industrial states.