Environmental certification in Ceará (Brazil) for protection of environmental resources and promotion of sustainability

Abstract

The environmental certification of the State of Ceará, established by the Seal Municipality Green Programme (PSMV), verifies the commitment of urban environmental management facing challenges of sustainability in the territory of the local governments, from a set of environmental indicators. The PSMV’s indicators can easily be monitored, because they are both qualitative and quantitative, and they should indicate if municipalities are achieving the goals of local sustainability. The objective of this paper was to analyze the indicators used in this certification under Brazilian and Ceará legislation, considering the protection of natural resources and the promotion of sustainability. For this purpose, it was carried out a documentary research. The PSMV’s indicators were classified in four dimensions of sustainability. The results indicate that the requirements of the PSMV are getting along with the national and state policies, correlated to the environmental area. The PSMV respects the dimensions of sustainability and identifies environmental restrictions, which decision makers can use to improve their environmental performance and to achieve sustainability in the territory of the municipality. The environmental certification program, therefore, represents an important strategy for achieving sustainable cities.