Brazil has 1,942 cities at risk of environmental disaster

As climate change caused by human action on the environment intensifies, environmental and climatic disasters have increased worldwide, as is the case in Rio Grande do Sul state, in South Brazil.

The Brazilian government has identified 1,942 cities susceptible to disasters associated with landslides and flooding—nearly 35 percent of all of the country’s municipalities. 

“The higher frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events have brought about a challenging landscape for all countries, especially for developing nations with large territorial areas, like Brazil,” the study reads.

The areas within the 1.9 thousand cities considered to be at risk are home to over 8.9 million Brazilians—six percent of the national population.

The April survey includes more criteria and new databases, which raised the amount of municipalities considered susceptible to disasters by 136 percent. In 2012, the government had identified 821 cities at risk.

Impoverished communities

The poor are the most likely to suffer from environmental disasters in Brazil, the study reports.

“Rapid and often disorderly urbanization, as well as social and territorial segregation, have led the poorest portions of the population to occupy unsuitable locations, subject to flooding, landslides, and related threats. These areas are generally inhabited by low-income communities who cannot afford to adapt or recover from the impacts of these events, making them more vulnerable to such events,” the document points out.

The survey also identified environmental disasters in Brazil between 1991 and 2022, when 23,611 events were recorded, 3,890 deaths, and 8.2 million people displaced or homeless as a result of floods, torrents, and landslides.