With the worsening of climate change caused by human action on the environment, environmental and climatic disasters have increased worldwide, as seen in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.
The Brazilian government has identified 1,942 cities susceptible to disasters associated with landslides and floods — nearly 35 percent of all municipalities in the country.
“The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events have created a challenging scenario for all countries, especially for developing nations with large territorial areas, such as Brazil,” says the study.
The areas in the 1.9 thousand cities considered at risk house more than 8.9 million Brazilians — six percent of the national population.
The April research includes more criteria and new databases, which raised the number of municipalities considered susceptible to disasters by 136 percent. In 2012, the government had identified 821 cities at risk.
Poor Communities
The poor are the most likely to suffer from environmental disasters in Brazil, the study points out.
“Rapid and often disorderly urbanization, as well as social and territorial segregation, have led the poorest segments of the population to occupy unsuitable locations, subject to flooding, landslides, and related threats. These areas are generally inhabited by low-income communities that cannot afford the adaptation or recovery from the impacts of these events, making them more vulnerable to them,” the document highlights.
The research also identified environmental disasters in Brazil between 1991 and 2022, when 23,611 events were recorded, resulting in 3,890 deaths and 8.2 million people displaced or homeless due to floods, flash floods, and landslides.
Source: Agência Brasil