Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic affected many supply chains worldwide, including the Brazilian green-fuel ethanol supply chain. Our analysis considered sustainability variables (social, environmental, and economic) to investigate the pandemic's effects on the ethanol industries of 15 ethanol producing Brazilian states, comparing data from 2020 to 2019 and applying a novel Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): the Double Frontier Slack-Based Measure Malmquist Productivity Index (DF-SBM MPI). The findings show that all states suffered negative impacts from the pandemic and some incurred a risk of collapsing it. The least negatively impacted states were Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso. Sao Paulo's ethanol sector is a benchmark for income derived from trade in carbon-credits by RenovaBio certified mills, while Mato Grosso's sector is able to take advantage of the largest spread between ethanol and gasoline prices, certainly a competitive advantage for ethanol producers. We recommend the implementation of public policies to support, mainly, the most affected states by assisting their mills to become environmentally certified participants to take advantage of income opportunities available in the carbon-credit trading market. We recommend, among other actions, a temporary ethanol sales tax reduction, an extension of debt repayment schedules, and stimulating an increase in the fleet of flex-fuel vehicles.

Abstract: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, in March 2020, a projection indicated that a significant group of patients with pneumonia would require admission to an Intensive Care Unit and connection to a mechanical ventilator. Therefore, a paucity of these devices and other supplies was predicted. The initiative “Un respiro para Chile” brought together many people and institutions, public and private. In the course of three months, it allowed the design and building of several ventilatory assistance devices, which could be used in critically ill patients.

Abstract: Visual representation as a means of communication uses elements to build a narrative. We propose using computer analysis to perform a quantitative analysis of the elements used in the visual creations that have been produced in reference to the epidemic, using 927 images compiled from The Covid Art Museum's Instagram account. This process has been carried out with techniques based on deep learning to detect objects contained in each study image. The research reveals the elements that are repeated in images to create narratives and the relations of association that are established in the sample. The predominant discourses in the sample do not show concern for the effects of illness. On the contrary, the impact and effects of confinement, through the prominent presence of elements such as human figures, windows, and buildings, are the most expressed experiences in the creations analyzed.

Abstract: Exchange rates are determined by factors such as interest rates, political stability, confidence, the current account on balance of payments, government intervention, economic growth and relative inflation rates, among other variables. In October 2019, an increased climate of citizen discontent with current social policies resulted in a series of massive protests that ignited important political changes in Chile. This event along with the global COVID-19 pandemic were two major factors that affected the value of the US dollar and produced sudden changes in the typically stable USD/CLP (Chilean Peso) exchange rate. In this paper, we use a Bayesian approach to detect and locate change points in the currency exchange rate process in order to identify and relate these points with the important dates related to the events described above. The implemented method can successfully detect the onset of the social protests, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile and the economic reactivation in the US and Europe. In addition, we evaluate the performance of the proposed MCMC algorithms using a simulation study implemented in Python and R.

Abstract: Non-technical summaryThe significant outlays by countries in the Global South to recover from the COVID-19 crisis could have been an opportunity to build back better, advancing both a green recovery and addressing pressing social problems, thus advancing sustainability. To examine if this was the case, in this paper we analyze the expected impacts of recovery initiatives in five Latin American countries. Our results show that these programs do not support the possibility of building back better, weakly impacting 12 dimensions related to sustainability. We also propose a methodology to improve how sustainability concerns can be included in future choice of projects. Technical summaryIt has been argued that the significant outlays by governments across the world required to recover from the COVID-19 crisis can be an opportunity to build back better, that is, advance toward greener societies. In the Global South, which suffered acute social, economic and environmental problems prior to this health crisis, recovery initiatives would be best suited to focus on sustainable economic recovery which – along with the environmental concerns of a green recovery – could address pressing local problems. To this end, we analyzed the expected impacts of recovery initiatives in five Latin American countries on each of 71 sustainability criteria. These criteria are based on the UN sustainable development goals and other relevant literature related to sustainable development. Using principal component analysis, criteria are grouped into 12 dimensions. Our results show that recovery programs examined do not take advantage of the possibility of building back better, and many relevant dimensions related to a sustainable recovery are only weakly considered. Our methodology provides a step forward toward supporting governments in their efforts to identify better policies and investment projects and consequently put together packages of initiatives that advance on sustainability, green recovery or other long-term goals they may have. Social media summaryMethodology to analyze COVID-19 recovery packages shows small impact on sustainability in five Latin American countries.

Abstract: This paper analyzes the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 (March 2020 -September 2020) on the electricity demand of different types of consumers in Chile, including residential, commercial, and industrial demand. We leverage data from 230 thousand smart meters of residential and commercial consumers in 32 communes of Santiago (the capital city of Chile), which allows us to investigate the evolution of their demands with an hourly temporal resolution. Additionally, we use demand data of large industrial consumers provided by the Chilean system operator to study the impact of the pandemic on different economic sectors. This paper demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated containment measures, have featured a drastically different impact on the various types of consumers in Chile. In particular, we show that the demand of residential consumers has increased throughout the first wave, even when we isolate the effects of the pandemic from those related to weather. Furthermore, we study how these effects change in different communes of Santiago, contrasting our findings with the socio-economic levels of the population. In effect, we find different demand response patterns depending on the socio-economic background of consumers. We also show that commercial demand has significantly declined due to the containment measures implemented and that the hospitality and construction economic sectors have been the most affected in the country.