Strategic Urban Financing: Payments for Environmental Services and Smart Taxation

"Cities are at the center of debates and the quest for solutions in environmental conservation. The way society interacts with nature needs to be improved. Historically, Brazil’s environmental legislation has taken a punitive approach, relying on strong command and control mechanisms. However, repression is no longer sufficient. The complexity of the environmental issue demands more. The focus of this event is to discuss instruments and mechanisms that shift the paradigm. Based on the principle of “provider-receiver”, payments for environmental services and smart taxation are crucial pathways to follow. The financing of environmental projects has the potential to change the dynamic of environmental degradation. This approach operates under the premise that conservation can yield economic returns. In the long term, with scaled initiatives, it’s expected that ecosystem services will have greater value and become competitive when compared to other sectors of the economy."