190
C. F. Albrecht et al.
Considering and understanding the impact and interactions of energy systems
with ecosystems services provision is fundamental for sustainability, resilience, and
moreover, for enhancing ecological and social systems on which we depend (Howard
et al. 2013). The impact of energy systems to ecosystem services may vary from
local, to regional, and global scales in association to technical, economic, and social
aspects. For that, the energy demand, production and supply are informative for the
analysis and may include actual and potential energy sources, energy transportation
pathways, energy demand across a local area, capability of linking the energy system
to the ecosystem goods and services (Howard et al. 2013).
The full range of ecosystem services may be related to the energy system considered. The ecosystem services are organized in four categories (MA 2005; TEEB
2011; Gómez-Baggethun et al. 2013; Hansen et al. 2015): (1) Provisioning Services,
including the material goods or outputs from ecosystems, as food, water, timber,
and fiber; (2) Regulating Services, the ecosystem processes that serve as regulators
of ecological systems as climates, floods, diseases, wastes, and water quality; (3)
Cultural Services, the intangible and non-material benefits obtained from human
contact with ecosystems, as spiritual, recreational, and aesthetic benefits; (4) Supporting Services (or Habitat), the ecological functions responsible for the production
of other services, including soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling, and
the provision of living spaces and maintenance of plant and animal diversity (MA
2005).
The energy systems are a type of ecosystem service as they provide energy, and
they may also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that have overwhelmed ecosystems’ ability to cycle carbon. They also are capable of providing an educational
service for bringing awareness of the land carrying capacity and our living demand
impact on earth and need to not reduce that but enhance the systems functionality
with our presence (Howard et al. 2013; Silveira 2018).
3 Sustainable Affordable Houses in Brazil
In Brazil, the building sector is responsible for 4 to 7% (4–7%) of the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product). As the construction sector expands, 26% of the money in the
Brazilian construction sector goes to real estate loans for housing, while the country’s
housing deficit is 6 million considering low-income citizens whose monthly income
is below $500 (Gianetti et al. 2018).
Energy and material resources required over a building life-cycle put an enormous
environmental load on Earth. Therefore, social housing is needed not only to ensure its
most basic function, being shelter, but it should consider sustainability and resilience.
However, the main constraints in the Brazilian construction industry is economic.
In this sense short-term economic benefits are the priority over long-term social
and environmental benefits (Gianetti et al. 2018). Therefore, it is really demanding
to integrate the low-income housing construction practice in Brazil to its social
C. F. Albrecht et al.
Considering and understanding the impact and interactions of energy systems
with ecosystems services provision is fundamental for sustainability, resilience, and
moreover, for enhancing ecological and social systems on which we depend (Howard
et al. 2013). The impact of energy systems to ecosystem services may vary from
local, to regional, and global scales in association to technical, economic, and social
aspects. For that, the energy demand, production and supply are informative for the
analysis and may include actual and potential energy sources, energy transportation
pathways, energy demand across a local area, capability of linking the energy system
to the ecosystem goods and services (Howard et al. 2013).
The full range of ecosystem services may be related to the energy system considered. The ecosystem services are organized in four categories (MA 2005; TEEB
2011; Gómez-Baggethun et al. 2013; Hansen et al. 2015): (1) Provisioning Services,
including the material goods or outputs from ecosystems, as food, water, timber,
and fiber; (2) Regulating Services, the ecosystem processes that serve as regulators
of ecological systems as climates, floods, diseases, wastes, and water quality; (3)
Cultural Services, the intangible and non-material benefits obtained from human
contact with ecosystems, as spiritual, recreational, and aesthetic benefits; (4) Supporting Services (or Habitat), the ecological functions responsible for the production
of other services, including soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling, and
the provision of living spaces and maintenance of plant and animal diversity (MA
2005).
The energy systems are a type of ecosystem service as they provide energy, and
they may also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that have overwhelmed ecosystems’ ability to cycle carbon. They also are capable of providing an educational
service for bringing awareness of the land carrying capacity and our living demand
impact on earth and need to not reduce that but enhance the systems functionality
with our presence (Howard et al. 2013; Silveira 2018).
3 Sustainable Affordable Houses in Brazil
In Brazil, the building sector is responsible for 4 to 7% (4–7%) of the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product). As the construction sector expands, 26% of the money in the
Brazilian construction sector goes to real estate loans for housing, while the country’s
housing deficit is 6 million considering low-income citizens whose monthly income
is below $500 (Gianetti et al. 2018).
Energy and material resources required over a building life-cycle put an enormous
environmental load on Earth. Therefore, social housing is needed not only to ensure its
most basic function, being shelter, but it should consider sustainability and resilience.
However, the main constraints in the Brazilian construction industry is economic.
In this sense short-term economic benefits are the priority over long-term social
and environmental benefits (Gianetti et al. 2018). Therefore, it is really demanding
to integrate the low-income housing construction practice in Brazil to its social