Brazilian Environmental Issues and Political Counter Actions - Literature review Example

Brazilian Environmental Issues and Political Counter Actions Name University Introduction Despite the fact that Brazil has a diverse and complex geography, like any other country in the world, it also faces a set of environmental issues. Brazil faces a variety of environmental issues ranging from Amazon Basin deforestation, the issue of endangered species, air pollution, poor waste disposal, land degradation and water pollution owing to the mining activities, as well as severe oil spills and wetland degradation (Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), n.d; Brazil.org, n.d). These issues threaten various aspects natural abundance in the country and need to be addressed adequately for a viable Brazilian ecosystem. This current paper discusses the extent to the environmental issues, their causes, and political responses. Extent of the Problem The trend of deforestation in the Amazon has been alarming since the last decade. As Worldwatch Institute (nd) asserts, between August 2007 and July 2008, more than 8,000 square kilometers of the Amazon were cleared as reported by the National Institute for Space Research, which is twice the size of Rhode Island. Deforestation in the amazon is major cause of ecological and environmental degradation in Brazil and is increasing at an alarming rate. For instance, according to Tavener (2011), the amount of deforestation in the protected zones of the Amazon increased by over 127% between the years 2000 and 2010, even after the protected areas were demarcated. Also, as Tanever (2011) points out, in 2011, Brazil had 310 conservation units for protection covering 750,000 square kilometers, and of the 132 surveyed, deforestation had increased from 5,000 to over 11,400 square kilometers. Even with the protection status, the Bon Futuro (coined Good Future) National Park located in Rondonia state lost 27% of the total forest area. However, Para state, having reported a total loss of 65% of the forest area has borne the heaviest weight on deforestation. As far as deforestation is concerned, it also leads to climate change, which even a more adverse effect, as it affects normal ecological functioning by reducing the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and increasing carbon dioxide (Garner, 2011). The problem of endangered species is also an environmental issue in the country. According to Chopping (2009), Brazil bolsters to be home of six percent of the globe’s endangered species. In addition, as the IUCN red list of threatened species, 97 species in Brazil have been identified as vulnerable, endangered, or risk being threatened. Ideally, Brazil is one of the homes of the most endangered species in the world. For this reason, this is an environmental problem that requires management to protect these species as they are on the verge of becoming extinct. For example, the brilliant blue hyacinth macaw, which is estimated to be a meter long is an endangered species and its habitat is southern Brazil, northeastern Paraguay, and eastern Bolivia. These birds are being endangered as their numbers are increasingly becoming slimmer, as according to Bagheera (n.d), there are less than 100,000 hyacinth blue macaws in the world, both living in the wild and human captivity. The number is decreasing every year, and given the fact that the species has its habitat in Brazil, this is an eye-catching phenomenon. In essence, all 18 species, as Bagheera (n.d) asserts, are all threatened. This is just an example, other species that are on the verge of extinction according to Lonely Planet (n.d) are mammals such as black-faced lion tamarin, the ring-tail monkey, the golden-rumped lion tamarin, the Coimbra’s titi monkey, the Brazilian arboreal mouse, the Northern Bahian blond titi monkey, the Brazilian spiny rice rat, and the buffy-headed marmoset among other mammals. This showcases the fact that the extent of endangered species in Brazil is growing annually, and immediate counter actions should be enacted. Pollution is also a major environmental concern in Brazil, and entails air, industrial, and water pollution. According to Anderson (2009), larger urban areas in the country, such as Sao Paulo, Brasilia, as well as Rio de Janeiro suffers from substantial ozone issues owing to the emission of nitrogenous and acetyl amide oxides that contribute to photochemical pollution of the atmosphere, as well as contributing to ozone formation. The population concentration in these towns is very high, and since road transport is part of everyday life for the commuters, 7 million vehicles clog the city streets. As Messenger (2013) reports in a study conducted by the Institute of Health and Sustainability, an approximate of 4,655 persons succumbed to air pollution in Sao Paulo city alone in 2011, which is a higher number compared to road traffic accidents estimated to be 1,556 deaths in the same period. For this reason, air pollution is a huge problem for the country. In addition, sugarcane burning in the country is a huge contributor of air pollution (Cristale et al. 2012), which according to Fajersztajn (2013) risks the hue population of Brazilian cities with lung cancer.Also, industrial pollution is a common phenomenon in Brazil as the country is increasingly becoming more industrialized. Ideally, more industries translate to increased air pollution and an increased issue of waste mismanagement hence water pollution (Beresford, 2014). This is an alarming environmental issue in the country. Pertaining to water pollution, particularly the Tiete River, has suffered heavy pollution from sewage, which mainly comes from Sao Paulo and the manufacturing industries, and as The Economist (2011) reported in 2011, Sao Paulo 55% of the sewage is processed, and is aim to increase that to 85% in 2018. In addition, there are numerous oil spills in Brazil which lead to water pollution. Lastly, the mismanagement of waste is a common environmental issue in Brazil. There is lack of funds to manage these waste and since 2008, the country has been working with UNEP to alleviate the problem, and in turn, establish a sustainable waste management system. Ideally, Brazil produces more than 161,000 tons of garbage every day (Brazil.org, n.d). Causes of the Problem Deforestation in the Amazon is a huge issue, and the practice is orchestrated by ranchers who participate in clearing rainforests. The practice happens illegally and legally. The deforestation of the Amazon has been exacerbated by illegal logging with the Amazon Environment Institute reporting that 65% of the logging was illegally carried out. The protection status does not seem to prevent the deforestation process. For instance, the logging activities have led to massive deforestation in Bon Futuro National Park, as well as most of the Amazon’s forest in the state of Para which has lost over 65% of the forest due to illegal logging. For this reason, the deforestation of the Amazon is mostly due to the increased demand for wood. Also, other activities that have led to the increased deforestation include soy farming (Malhi et al., 2008). As the authors assert, the Amazonian forests have been adversely affected by the expansion of soy bean production and the rearing of cattle. Also, the writers point out that the Amazon forests lie within nine nations, but 80% of the deforestation has been contributed by Brazil, with 70% being attributed to cattle ranching. In addition, as Malhi et al. (2008) point out, plans for infrastructural development are also culprits to the deforestation, which as the authors assert, infrastructural integration and expansion reduces the forest cover by 5.4 million square kilometers from 2001, which is estimated to be 87% of the original area to 3.2 million square kilometers (an estimate of 54% of the original forest cover) by the year 2050. Other causes of the deforestation is regional and global climate change. Malhi et al. (2008) assert that Global Climate Models (GCMs) project a significant drying extent of the Amazon forests. Besides climate change, as the authors assert, forest fires are also contributors of the deforestation. SAs they site, farmers use the fire for land management options in the rural Amazonia. However, the fire could spread and lead to deforestation. For example, as Mahli et al. point out, 28% of the Brazilian Amazon often faces fire pressure. It is vital to point out that fire is a primary cause of deforestation, especially in instances of arson attacks (Giddens, 2015). As for the endangered species, it is caused by increased deforestation in the country and also the industrialization advancements the country has initiated (Ponting, 1991). Also, climate change is a contributor to endangerment of species, which when coupled with the increased deforestation of the Amazonian forests leads habitat loss. Also, the hyacinth macaw is sold lucratively meaning that the species is being overexploited and seen as a trade tool as the high price, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, fosters an alarming rate of smuggling and poaching of the birds. For this reason, habitat loss and overexploitation of the species are sole contributors of the endangerment. As Bagheera (n.d) reports, the birds do not breed every year even under favorable conditions, of the newly hatched chicks, and the predation along with deaths induced by capturing adult birds for selling purposes is dangerous for the species’ survival. In addition, as Lonely Planet asserts, the primary cause for endangering the mammals is the introduction of competing species. In essence, this alone contributes to 39% destruction of the ecosystem, like dogs, lizards, pigs, and rats, as well as the inadvertent encroachment of humans, thereby wreaking havoc on other smaller species. For this reason, the deforestation activities and farming are also culprits for the endangerment of many of the species. Pertaining to air pollution, Brazil, due to its use of ethanol for fuel, air quality is compromised to a great extent. Air pollution is primarily caused by the emission of nitrogenous and acetyl amide oxides that contribute to photochemical pollution of the atmosphere, as well as contributing to ozone formation. The many industries in the cities also emit greenhouse gasses that predominantly lead to air pollution. The population concentration in these towns is very high. On the other hand, water and industrial pollution are caused by the industries and massive population in the cities not only in Brazil, but alos in the world (Sarkar, 2012). For example, according to Maggi et al. (2014), the Guanabara Bay has had three major oil spills among other forms of water pollution. Therefore, oil spills contribute to water pollution. In addition, the industrial pollution is cause by the release of toxic gasses to the atmosphere, which owes to the fact that Brazil is increasingly becoming industrialized. Also, industries require a lot of water, but in most cases, it is dumped without treatment into the rivers (Beresford, 2014). Along with the release of sewage from the numerous homes in the cities, then there is an increased water pollution in the country. Waste mismanagement is caused by poor measures of waste disposal as the country produces huge amounts of garbage, which poison water, air, and soil. There is no enough funding, and thus, municipalities use landfills to dispose of the waste (brazil.org, n.d). Political Responses to the Problems Or the endangerment of species, the government has put in place various conservation actions, including trade regulations, habitat restoration, and protection, as well as captive breeding for these species. For instance, trade regulation have been put in place for the macaws as they need to be traded under limited circumstances. The government has improved and increased the monitoring systems of pet trade, as well as a move to crack down on poachers and smugglers for the endangered species, such as the Freshwater Turtle (Bagheera, n.d). The government has also stepped up habitat restoration and protection mechanisms, such as the move to encourage ranchers to leave nest trees standing, as well as replanting food trees and erecting next boxes, especially for the macaws. In addition, as Platt (2008) pointed, government officials are acknowledging these moves, and thus, various policies to control deforestation and industrialization should be adopted to reverse the effects of species endangerment. Besides, the government, via the program dubbed Legal Earth, which was developed by the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Environment regulates the use of public lands in the Amazon area, thereby restricting meat from illegally deforested areas, as well as proper identification of what areas should be subjected for production of ethanol and growing of sugarcane (Brazil, 2015). The National Environmental Policy (NEP) which was established in 1981 by the Brazilian government establishes standards of sustainable development, and enacts measures geared towards the protection of ecosystems, controlling and zoning pollution activities (Brazil, 2016). In addition, the policy supports environmental education at all education levels, including the community. For instance, Brazil enhances its competitiveness on the world market by being in line with environmental standardization, for example, most of the organizations have ISO 14000 certification. The government has enacted water governance by putting in place coastal and marine zoning, which is geared towards the reduction of water pollution. Also, to reduce climate change and the release of greenhouse gasses in the country, Brazil engages in climate change commitments as developed at the COP-15 in Copenhagen. For instance, the policy for combatting deforestation in the Amazon has had tremendously positive results as the deforestation rates are already beginning to drop. The government has also set various ministry departments to deal with the environmental issues in the country thereby increasing environmental quality, improvement of biodiversity, forests, water resources, as well as taking a more sustainable pat towards urban and rural development. These departments include the National Council of the Amazon, the National Council of Water Resources, the Brazilian Institute of Environment, and the Chicos Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Brazil, n.d). Other nongovernmental organizations have also stepped up in the road towards sustainability in the country. For instance, the National Network to Fight the Trafficking of Wild Animals has contributed to the fight against the endangerment of species by combatting the trafficking and smuggling of wild animals thereby contributing to the protection of Brazilian biodiversity. In addition, the Friends of the Earth-Brazilian Amazon have also stepped up to develop various projects and activities that have promoted sustainability in the Amazon region. Besides, the country is also involved in international agreements as part of Brazilian involvement in environmental initiatives. Some of them include Law of the Sea Marine Dumping, Tropical Timer 83, Kyoto Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Environmental Modification, Climate Change, and Endangered Species (CIA, n.d). Discussion and Conclusion The environment has always been a political agenda since the issue of climate change emerged in the 20th Century. However, as the case of Brazil shows, there has been worsening of the ecological footprint in the global ecosystem. Ideally, the ecological footprint measures the human impact on the world’s ecosystem (DeSombre, 2007). As evidenced in Brazil, there has been the reduction of ecological footprint due to human activities, including deforestation and industrialization. Ideally, these are the sources of greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. For instance, the release of ethanol gasses and acetyl amide can negatively impact the environment, and this has led to increased acid rain in Brazil. Additionally, this is coupled with an increased amount of pollution, such as air, water, and industrial pollution. This is evident in Brazil, as companies release untreated water to natural water bodies, which when coupled with oil spills, especially in Guanabara Bay, leads to massive losses of biodiversity. Ideally, oil spills kill water life, such as fish, which adversely affects the ecosystem. In addition, the numerous households in the cities release numerous amounts of solid waste, which clearly affects the ecosystem, intoxicating the air, soil, as well as water. For this reason, there has been an increased concern over the conservationism and modern environmentalism. According Carter (2001), conservationism is an approach that is applied to land management to emphasize the conservation of natural resources for societal benefit, while modern environmentalism is the emergence of public concern about the planet’s state, coupled with new political ideas regarding the environment, as well as a mass political movement. These aspects have been evident in the Brazilian context. For instance, there has been a rise in the number of governmental and nongovernmental organizations that deal with the issues of the environment in Brazil. All these are geared towards the development of a better biodiversity, as well as advocating sustainability in the use of environmental resources. These efforts are geared towards the preservation of the environment, controlling climate change, as well as ensuring that biodiversity is protected, especially for endangered species, such as the Brazilian blue hyacinth macaw and other mammals whose existence is on the verge of extinction. Deforestation is also a detriment to the protection of the environment, and for this, reason due to public concern, there has been an increased move by governments, such as the Brazilian government to control deforestation. These moves are in line with international agreements set to protect the environment. Ecologism has widely been in the world, and Brazil is no exception. As such, many countries have adopted the necessary infrastructure for regulating environmental uses and enacted policies and laws that dictate how to use sustainably natural resources (Beresford, 2014). It can be surmised that even though Brazil faces challenges in environmental protection, such as inadequate funding, it has put in place various measures that will aid in protecting the environment, including laying adequate framework on how to effectively use the environment. References Bagheera, (n.d.). Hyacinth Macaw: an Endangered Species. [Online] Bagheera.com. Available at: http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_macaw.htm [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]. Beresford, Q., 2014. The rise and fall of Gunns Ltd. NewSouth. Brazil. (2015). Brazil Ecology, Nature Protection Laws and Regulation Handbook: Vol 1, Strategic Information and Regulations. Washington D.C.: International Business Publications: Brazil.org, (n.d.). Brazil Environmental Issues. [Online] Brazil.org.za. 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