According to the text, biofuels
Instrução: Leia o texto para responder às questões de números 31 a 39.
Brazil: the natural knowledge economy
Kirsten Bound – THE ATLAS OF IDEAS
If you grew up in Europe or North America you will no doubt have been taught in school that the Wright Brothers from Ohio invented and flew the first aeroplane – the Kitty Hawk – in 1903. But if you grew up in Brazil you will have been taught that the real inventor was in fact a Brazilian from Minas Gerais called
Alberto Santos Dumont, whose 14-bis aeroplane took to the skies in 1906. This fierce historical debate, which turns on definitions of ‘practical airplanes’, the ability to launch unaided, length of time spent in the air and the credibility of witnesses, will not be resolved here. Yet it is a striking example of the lack of global recognition for Brazil’s achievements in innovation.
Almost a century later, in 2005, Santos Dumont’s intellectual heirs, the company Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (EMBRAER), made aviation history of a different kind when they unveiled the Ipanema, the world’s first commercially produced aircraft to run solely on biofuels. This time, the world
was watching. Scientific American credited it as one of the most important inventions of the year. The attention paid to the Ipanema reflects the growing interest in biofuels as a potential solution to climate change and rising energy demand. To their advocates, biofuels – most commonly bioethanol or biodiesel – offer a more secure, sustainable energy supply that can reduce carbon emissions by 50–60 per cent compared to fossil fuels.
From learning to fly to learning to cope with the environmental costs of flight, biofuel innovations like the Ipanema reflect some of the tensions of modern science, in which expanding the frontiers of human ingenuity goes hand in hand with managing the consequences. The recent backlash against biofuels, which has seen them blamed for global food shortages as land is reportedly diverted from food crops, points to a growing interdependence between the science and innovation systems of different countries, and between innovation, economics and environmental sustainability.
The debates now raging over biofuels reflect some of the wider dynamics in Brazil’s innovation system. They remind us that Brazil’s current strengths and achievements have deeper historical roots than is sometimes imagined. They reflect the fact that Brazil’s natural resources and assets are a key area of opportunity for science and innovation – a focus that leads us to characterise Brazil as a ‘natural knowledge economy’. Most importantly, they highlight the propitious timing of Brazil’s growing strength in these areas at a time when climate change, the environment, food scarcity and rising worldwide energy demand are at the forefront of global consciousness. What changed between the maiden flight of the 14-bis and the maiden flight of the Ipanema is not just Brazil’s capacity for technological and scientific innovation, but the rest of the world’s appreciation of the potential of that innovation to address some of the pressing challenges that confront us all.
(www.demos.co.uk. Adaptado.)
Brazil: the natural knowledge economy
Kirsten Bound – THE ATLAS OF IDEAS
If you grew up in Europe or North America you will no doubt have been taught in school that the Wright Brothers from Ohio invented and flew the first aeroplane – the Kitty Hawk – in 1903. But if you grew up in Brazil you will have been taught that the real inventor was in fact a Brazilian from Minas Gerais called
Alberto Santos Dumont, whose 14-bis aeroplane took to the skies in 1906. This fierce historical debate, which turns on definitions of ‘practical airplanes’, the ability to launch unaided, length of time spent in the air and the credibility of witnesses, will not be resolved here. Yet it is a striking example of the lack of global recognition for Brazil’s achievements in innovation.
Almost a century later, in 2005, Santos Dumont’s intellectual heirs, the company Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (EMBRAER), made aviation history of a different kind when they unveiled the Ipanema, the world’s first commercially produced aircraft to run solely on biofuels. This time, the world
was watching. Scientific American credited it as one of the most important inventions of the year. The attention paid to the Ipanema reflects the growing interest in biofuels as a potential solution to climate change and rising energy demand. To their advocates, biofuels – most commonly bioethanol or biodiesel – offer a more secure, sustainable energy supply that can reduce carbon emissions by 50–60 per cent compared to fossil fuels.
From learning to fly to learning to cope with the environmental costs of flight, biofuel innovations like the Ipanema reflect some of the tensions of modern science, in which expanding the frontiers of human ingenuity goes hand in hand with managing the consequences. The recent backlash against biofuels, which has seen them blamed for global food shortages as land is reportedly diverted from food crops, points to a growing interdependence between the science and innovation systems of different countries, and between innovation, economics and environmental sustainability.
The debates now raging over biofuels reflect some of the wider dynamics in Brazil’s innovation system. They remind us that Brazil’s current strengths and achievements have deeper historical roots than is sometimes imagined. They reflect the fact that Brazil’s natural resources and assets are a key area of opportunity for science and innovation – a focus that leads us to characterise Brazil as a ‘natural knowledge economy’. Most importantly, they highlight the propitious timing of Brazil’s growing strength in these areas at a time when climate change, the environment, food scarcity and rising worldwide energy demand are at the forefront of global consciousness. What changed between the maiden flight of the 14-bis and the maiden flight of the Ipanema is not just Brazil’s capacity for technological and scientific innovation, but the rest of the world’s appreciation of the potential of that innovation to address some of the pressing challenges that confront us all.
(www.demos.co.uk. Adaptado.)
Gabarito comentado
Alternativa correta: A
Tema central: interpretar afirmações sobre biofuels conforme apresentadas no texto — saber distinguir o que o autor afirma diretamente do que seria inferência ou opinião externa.
Resumo teórico (claro e progressivo): o texto apresenta dois pontos principais sobre biocombustíveis: 1) benefícios relatados — redução de carbono na ordem de 50–60% em comparação a combustíveis fósseis (segundo o próprio texto); 2) reações adversas recentes — um backlash atribui aos biocombustíveis problemas de segurança alimentar porque terras antes usadas para culturas alimentares teriam sido desviadas para produção de biocombustíveis. O texto cita ainda que a Ipanema foi destaque na imprensa científica (Scientific American).
Justificativa da alternativa A: o enunciado da alternativa A corresponde literalmente à informação do texto: “The recent backlash against biofuels, which has seen them blamed for global food shortages as land is reportedly diverted from food crops…” — isto é, o texto afirma que houve forte reação porque terras usadas para alimentos teriam sido destinadas a biocombustíveis. Logo, A é a conclusão explicitamente sustentada pelo texto.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
B (errada) — afirma que os biocombustíveis “podem ser usados para minimizar global food shortages and climate change”. O texto diz que eles podem reduzir emissões e são vistos como solução para mudança climática por seus defensores, mas não afirma que minimizam a insegurança alimentar; ao contrário, menciona críticas que os culpam por escassez de alimentos.
C (errada) — diz que biocombustíveis “have shown detrimental effects on economics and environment, although renewable”. O texto menciona debates sobre interdependência entre inovação, economia e sustentabilidade e críticas relacionadas à segurança alimentar, mas não afirma que já mostraram efeitos prejudiciais generalizados na economia e no ambiente; trata-se de uma discussão, não de uma conclusão categórica.
D (errada) — classifica biocombustíveis como solução temporária até surgirem novos combustíveis fósseis. O texto não sugere isso; apresenta biocombustíveis como alternativa sustentável frente aos combustíveis fósseis, não como ponte para mais fósseis.
E (errada) — propõe que a produção deva ocorrer em diferentes países e culturas para viabilidade econômica. Essa recomendação não aparece no texto; trata-se de uma sugestão estratégica não mencionada como conclusão do autor.
Dica de interpretação: quando a pergunta começa com “According to the text”, restrinja suas respostas ao que o texto explicitamente afirma. Procure palavras-chave no trecho citado (por exemplo: “backlash”, “diverted from food crops”, “50–60%”) e descarte alternativas que extrapolem ou invertam as informações.
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