Industry and Environment in Latin America

THIS BOOK COMPRISES a compilation of two general papers and eight case studies on the environmental impacts of industrial pollution in Latin America, focusing on the three most industrialized countries: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The book addresses a literature gap on industrial pollution and environmental performance in Latin America and aims to redress the domination of attention, both in the media and academia, on “green” issues to the detriment of “brown” issues. Both industrial and urban pollution are significant in Latin America due to the urban population concentration, the economic significance of industry and mining, and the spatial concentration of industry. Renewed growth in the region since the 1980s suggests an increase in industrialization and pollution. The book seeks to shed light on the extent to which Latin American industries are addressing environmental issues through the adoption of environmental policies and management systems, and pollution control and prevention methods by presenting and analyzing empirical evidence and exploring the salient issues.
By examining changes in the relationship between industries and the environment, the book reflects on the major debate surrounding the implications of globalization for industrial pollution. Latin America is a pertinent case, as the region has undergone a major reorientation towards a global economy through trade liberalization and freedom of movement of capital; also, institutional and policy changes in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico have led to pollution abatement and environmental management measures. The book focuses on the following key issues:
• the extent to which environmental impacts from industry and mining are being addressed by government and businesses;
• the main drivers behind efforts to mitigate environmental problems by businesses and the main obstacles to this process; and
• the ways in which recent economic changes (globalization, deregulation, privatization) have affected environmental performance.
The case studies take a sectoral approach to examining the scale and nature of pollution control and reduction strategies taken by different sizes of firm. The first two essays give a regional overview of issues in the manufacturing industry and mining. The first considers the impact of economic liberalization on industrial pollution in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, focusing on the impacts of export and import levels, trade patterns and greater openness to trade and investment. The second essay examines the environmental impacts of mining, considering the drivers for less environmentally damaging practices and the effects of recent economic reforms and foreign investment.
The next paper evaluates a number of sectoral studies in Argentina's pulp and paper, petrochemical and iron, and steel industries, contrasting the environmental management and pollution prevention practices of large firms and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the drivers and obstacles to this process.
The next three essays focus on industries in Brazil, which account for 40 per cent of the region's manufacturing industry. The first essay focuses on leather tanning and examines the differences in cost structure between this industry in Brazil and Europe, to highlight the significance of pollution abatement costs. The second paper looks at the market pulp industry and examines the ways in which pulp manufacturers have responded to market and environmental pressures which have led to the elimination of chlorine bleaching. The third paper focuses on integrated producers in the iron and steel industry, analyzing the environmental performance of five major companies and the factors behind environmental progress since privatization.
The final three essays focus on Mexico, the second largest industrial economy in Latin America, where links between globalization and environmental protection are particularly prominent due to NAFTA an