GEO Brasil - UNEP

Every year, landslides during heavy showers of rain in
vulnerable urban areas account for the death of many people
in some major Brazilian cities Floods in urban areas have
also been responsible for epidemics of leptospirosis In Rio
de Janeiro City, both in 1988 and 1996 for instance, the
disease’s annual incidence increased 10-30 times
(Confalonieri, 2002)
Climatic changes have also been associated to a large-scale
incidence of wild yellow fever, as was the case in Brazil from
January to June 2000 This provoked 77 cases of the disease
in 8 Brazilian states; 39 people died It should be pointed
out that the latest cases of indigenous yellow fever had
been reported in some of the above mentioned states (São
Paulo and Bahia) in 1953 and 1948 respectively [Vasconcelos
et al, 2001]
With regard to the impact caused by such disasters, one
can affirm that one of the most significant problems
occurred in the Northeast’s economy, where approximately
30 per cent of the Brazilian population – the poorest – live
In 1998, 755 per cent of the Northeast area was affected by
droughts – 1,429 municipalities and 24 million people
suffered with the problem (CGVAM, 2001)
On the other hand, Brazil has reported some large-scale
industrial accidents (therefore these accidents were not
natural) considered to be serious Nowadays, Brazil can be
included in the group of countries that experienced the
most serious accidents involving immediate death, with
five or more casualties at the moment the accident occurred
Considering that Brazil is currently ratifying the International
Labour Organisation’s Convention 174 on the prevention of
large-scale industrial accidents, the Ministry of Health’s
National Health Foundation is now developing training
programmes for professionals in the healthcare sector,
environmental and civil defence agencies with a view to
providing technical training intended to tackle the problem
(Civil Defence, 2000)
In view of the above, two milestones contributed over the
past decade to the emergence of a new frame of mind: the
first is associated to the enhanced importance of Earth; and
the second is related to the estimation of seriousness of
accrued environmental problems which in the not very
distant future could undercut not only the economic
development model, but also the very survival of human
race
the state of the environment in Brazil
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