Environmental Threats in Brazil Burden Local Communities

Exploring how development projects undertaken at a local level will be crucial to addressing environmental threats and supporting vulnerable communities.

Brazil’s Burden of Environmental Threats

Experts speaking at a recent Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) event agreed that there is a strong connection between local development and climate change issues.

The Ecological Threat Register (ETR) highlights important facts for Brazil, a country that has suffered 123 climatic disasters since 1990 and falls within the top 20 countries most affected by extreme weather events.

According to the ETR, eight disasters led to the displacement of 295,000 people in Brazil in 2019. Wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon made global headlines last year and brought attention to ecological issues affecting the country, but the ETR shows that floods pose the greatest natural threat to Brazilians.

Brazil by the numbers

• 123 climate disasters since 1990
• Among the top 20 countries most affected by environmental threats
• 8 disasters in 2019 led to the displacement of 295,000 people
• Floods pose the greatest natural threat to Brazilians
• Between 1990 and 2019, Brazil suffered 95 floods 

Comparing data to support communities

Simone Madalosso a Brazil-based representative of the conservation not-for-profit Rare, spoke about the importance of comparing data between national and regional levels to best support communities most vulnerable to ecological threats.

For example, Brazil needs a better monitoring system to track fishery practice and the health of the ocean environment.

We need better models to improve resilience of cities

Rodrigo Corradi from Local Governments for Sustainability stressed that increasing environmental threats in a specific area could exponentially impact the entire country. He is particularly concerned about urban areas. Better models are required to strengthen the resilience of cities, where the consequences of climate change can be more intense.

In order to preserve the most vulnerable communities, speakers at the event recommended a more integrated approach to local environmental and economic development processes and solutions.

ETR Webinar in Brazil

IEP hosted a virtual launch of the ETR from São Paulo, Brazil, in October. IEP moderated the webinar (in Portuguese) with its country representative for Brazil, Renahan Gil.

Guest experts included Simone Madalosso, Governance and Development at Rare, and Rodrigo Corradi, Institutional Relations and Advocacy Manager at Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).

What is the Ecological Threat Register?

The 2020 Ecological Threat Register is the first edition of the report, which covers 157 independent states and territories. Produced by IEP, the ETR measures ecological threats that countries are currently facing and provides projections to 2050.

The ETR is unique in that it combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available to shed light on the countries least likely to cope with extreme ecological shocks, now and into the future.

Find out more about IEP’s global events and webinars.

Resources and further reading:

• Read about “Temperature Shocks Vietnam“
• Or “Weathering the Storm in Japan”
• Finally, catch up on “The Climate Action Initiative in Africa”