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Brazil: environmental problems and solutions essay sample

The South American state of Brazil is well-known for its biodiversity and wealth of natural resources. The Amazon River and rainforest are located in Brazil. a state with more than 800.

000 square stat mis of coastline. and a land mass so big that its boundary lines touch all but two of its adjacent states ( Rich. 1999 ) . The Amazon rain forest is the world’s largest tropical rain forest. and for intents of comparing.

“ its size is tantamount to one-half of the full United States” ( Rich. 1999 ) . Although the demand to protect this alone and valuable environment might seems obvious. the rain forest and its river have been the victims of extended harm due to miss of resource direction. overexploitation of the land and its resources.

and actions taken due to immediate human economic demands. Brazil’s local environmental jobs have become a universe concern. These jobs are so legion that it is hard to concentrate on merely two. A population detonation that creates inordinate sums of waste and refuse and puts heavy demands on the environment.

strip and coal excavation. emanations control. and species riddance and extinction are major concerns. Two of the most serious jobs confronting Brazil’s environment at nowadays. nevertheless. are the desolation of the rain forest and H2O pollution ( Rich.

1999 ) . These jobs affect non merely Brazilians. but the full universe. History and Overview of Brazil’s Environmental ProblemsRich ( 1999 ) . MSNBC’s Sao Paulo letter writer.

studies that Brazil’s environmental jobs are about every bit old as the state itself. an observation that is confirmed by a recent work of historical fiction. Brazil Red. “ As Lusitanian settlers left their fatherland and resettled in Brazil. they cut down huge swaths of forest to clear land and works the harvests they would necessitate to last in their new land” ( Rich.

1999 ) . This pattern has continued over the old ages in assorted embodiments. but as a rate that is unbridled. In the docudrama movie “ Carboneiros” . film makers expose the desolation inflicted on Brazil’s hardwood woods by provincials who burn down the trees in order to sell wood coal for a life.

“ Carboneiros” dexterously portrays the quandary that characterizes about all of Brazil’s environmental jobs ; the provincials are non hardhearted work forces and adult females who destroy their environment unthinkingly. Rather. they are hapless people who see no other feasible economic options and who claim that their authorities does non assist them to happen any. This same painful quandary can explicate the moral force that underlies the Acts of the Apostless of clear-cutting the Amazon rain forest.

Brazil has been able to set up its economic laterality of the South American continent by working its varied natural resources. including medicinals. botanicals. nuts. forests.

and rubber. that are harvested in the tropical rain forest ( Rich. 1999 ; Smallwood. 2005 ) .

The harvest home of these natural merchandises are indispensable to Brazil’s economic system. and even though it is obvious that production can non be sustained at the present rate. it is hard to make more than talk about the dangers of working natural resources when no other feasible economic stimulations have been identified or promoted. Harmonizing to Smallwood ( 2005 ) .

a research associate with the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. 9. 000 square stat mis of Brazil’s rainforest were destroyed in 2004 ; Rich ( 1999 ) supports this by offering a ocular metaphor: “ Every twenty-four hours. the equivalent of more than 5. 000 football Fieldss are clear cut in Brazil” .

Current Concerns and Extent of DamageThe pattern of clear-cutting the Amazon has legion effects. First. it depletes the nation’s and the world’s biodiversity ; on the Mata Atlantica coastline entirely. “ more than 171 carnal species were in immediate danger of extinction in 1999” ( Rich.

1999 ) . The lessening in the assortment and figure of vegetations and fauna creates breaks in the nutrient concatenation. restricts our ability to carry on scientific and medical research. and is a procedure that is perfectly irreversible.

Once nonextant. a species can non be restored to our planet. The bare land. of class.

creates other jobs. Soil eroding and taint of the H2O tabular array are some effects ( Rich. 1999 ) that have direct impacts on worlds. This is peculiarly alarming because Brazil’s burgeoning population has spread farther and farther into antecedently uninhabited districts. and clean H2O is non available in many communities ( Rich. 1999 ) .

As we all learned in Earth scientific discipline category. an absence of trees negatively impacts nature’s ability to recycle H2O efficaciously. Trees acts as filters and oxygenators ; when they are non present. they can non execute this critical map. The jobs that worlds have created so bring forth more jobs. Rich ( 1999 ) points to the fact that the population incursion into new countries and the deficiency of trees has forced local governments to build hydroelectric dikes.

which have destroyed full ecosystems. thereby making extra environmental jobs. The effects are non merely local. but ripple into other states as good. Brazil’s rain forests have been called “ the lungs of the planet” ( Rich.

1999 ) . What do we make when our lungs are gone? PredictionsEnvironmental experts by and large agree that if Brazil does non keep its uncontrolled environmental devastation. both the state and the universe will endure annihilating effects. Most experts believe that the harm is irreversible. and it is difficult to challenge this claim ( Rich. 1999 ) .

They besides point out that the harm will non be restricted to the physical environment. but will hold unerasable societal impacts. including disease and condemnable force ( Rich. 1999 ) .

Economic instability will besides ensue. When a state that has been economically dependent upon its natural resources has wholly stripped itself of those resources. without hope of their reclamation. what options does it hold. and which of these options are feasible and can be instituted rapidly? While some harm that has already been done can non be remedied.

conservationists do believe that Brazil’s environmental death is non inevitable ; they can still debar complete devastation. However. they note that action is needed rapidly. and that such “ action will necessitate to be bold. multi-faceted.

and implemented with the support and direct engagement of many different degrees of society. from the person to the government” . ( Cook. 2003. pp.

326 ) . Brazil can look within its ain boundary lines for inspiration. every bit good as draw from some advanced enterprises in other states that enjoy far less economic power than Brazil. Positive Change and Potential SolutionsBrazil and the universe recognize that the desolation of the rain forest and the ensuing taint of the country’s H2O supply are of deep and immediate concern and necessitate action.

As with so many societal jobs. though. make up one’s minding upon and implementing solutions appears more hard than go oning on the way of desolation. The ground is that we all live in demand of turn toing current economic demands. attempting–and frequently failing–to balance those immediate demands against our ain hereafter possibilities and sustainability. To turn to the job of environmental devastation in Brazil.

the Brazilian authorities and its people would hold to offer feasible economic options to its citizens and its systems that presently profit from environmental devastation. While Brazil recognizes its jobs and challenges. it is justifiably immune to force per unit areas from external authoritiess. including the United States. Rich ( 1999 ) describes the dynamic as one of bitterness: how can the United States.

which in its ain history clear-cut and wasted natural resources in order to harvest economic wagess. state Brazil it needs to repair its jobs? Further. what will other authoritiess. such as the US.

make to assist Brazil turn to this monolithic job? Gabun: A Case StudyBrazil can surely look outside its boundary lines to other states for inspiration. One of the most encouraging environmental betterment success narratives of recent old ages is that of Gabon. an African state that has declared 10 per centum of its land as protected natural Parkss ( Nielsen. 2002 ) . Gabon. which besides has one of the world’s most of import rain forests.

has wholly restricted hunting and logging activities in the 13 national Parkss and. as a consequence. has non merely enjoyed significant environmental betterments. but a important addition in touristry. economic support bundles by states such as the US.

who announced $ 75 million in financess to be directed toward the national Parkss of Gabon. and increased positive imperativeness and fiscal support from such organisations as National Geographic and the United Nations ( Nielsen. 2002 ) . The addition in touristry has filled the economic nothingness that the devastation of the rain forest had created. Brazil. which already enjoys a steady flow of tourers.

peculiarly in its urban countries of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. might profit from following Gabon’s environmentally sustainable and responsible theoretical account. switching an economic system based on environmental development to one based on ecotourism. One of the cardinal factors that made the Gabon plan successful.

Nielsen ( 2002 ) studies is the government’s leading. The president of Gabon took a prima function in spearheading attempts to steer his country’s economic system off from environmental development and towards ecotourism. If Brazil is to be successful in such a passage. authorities support.

and non simply verbal enthusiasm. would be perfectly necessary. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs is non peculiarly hopeful that the current president. Lula.

will steer such a displacement. observing that while Lula is verbally supportive of environmental reforms. his disposal has little to demo in footings of concrete achievements in this peculiar country ( Smallwood. 2005 ) . Curitiba: Green CityBrazil does non really necessitate to look as far off as Gabon to decide its environmental crisis.

Some local metropolis authoritiess in Brazil have proposed interesting inventions to keep worsening environmental conditions. One of these towns. Curitiba. has gained international exposure and congratulations for its originative and thoughtful intercessions.

Curitiba’s city manager has been praised enthusiastically for spearheading attempts to “ green” his metropolis. On an operational degree. this meant redesigning the metropolis in such a manner that walkers had more entree than autos. public transit was a metropolis precedence. and recycling was compulsory.

The contrivers of the Curitiba undertaking focused on solutions that were comparatively simple and cost-efficient to implement in the metropolis of 2. 2 million. and it therefore makes sense that Curitiba’s plan could be replicated in other countries of the state ( Wheeler ; A ; Beatley. 2004 ) . “ Curitiba has since served as a theoretical account of environmental stewardship to other metropoliss around the world” ( Wheeler ; A ; Beatley.

2004. pp. 204 ) . Santos Beach Recovery ProgramSimilarly. The Santos Beach Recovery Program was created to battle H2O pollution.

“ The end of the Santos Beach Recovery Program was to extinguish taint of Santos beaches and reconstruct the local tourer economic system in two stages over a four twelvemonth period. The first stage includes rerouting the contaminated H2O in storm H2O canals from the ocean and into sewage intervention workss. The 2nd stage involves bettering the H2O quality in storm H2O canals by placing and extinguishing illegal waste drains ( 2003. Horizons Solution ) . DecisionThe environmental jobs that presently plague Brazil are serious and are meriting of immediate attending and intercession. It is non likely.

nevertheless. that critical force per unit area from other states will hold any appreciable consequence in forestalling an escalation of the environmental jobs that confront Brazil and have effects for that state and the remainder of the universe. It is clear that the ground for continued environmental desolation is neither ignorance nor wilful neglect for the environment. but immediate and pressing economic demand in a state whose population has outstripped its economic capacities. In order to impact a feasible solution to the Brazilian crisis.

realistic proposals must take into consideration these really existent economic demands. The restraint of the environmental crisis in Brazil is non the duty of one group entirely. Effective intercession schemes must affect partnerships between single citizens. the country’s authorities.

and non-governmental organisations. Outside advisors. such as those who have been involved in turn-around undertakings in states like Gabon. might besides be utile Alliess.

These partnerships. though. can non merely exist in footings of expressed committedness. but in footings of existent. concrete actions that will be taken to rectify the jobs. Finally.

it is imperative that these partnerships be formed rapidly and move instantly if there is hope of forestalling farther desolation of Brazil’s rain forest and H2O tabular array. which has effects for the full universe. Mentions: Cook. D.

( 2003 ) . Human interactions are important for sustainable development. Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 111. pp.

322-328. Horizons Solution Site. ( 2003 ) . The Santos beaches recovery plan.

[ Electronic Version ] . Retrieved November 24. 2005 fromhypertext transfer protocol: //www. solutions-site. org/artman/publish/article_61.

shtmlNielsen. J. ( 2002. September 4 ) . Gabon moves to continue rain forests: Parkss system sets new criterion in African preservation. [ Electronic Version ] .

Retrieved on November 17. 2005 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. npr. org/programs/atc/features/2002/sept/gabon/index. hypertext markup languageRich. J.

( 1999 ) . Brazil’s impending crisis: a particular study. [ Electronic Version ] . Retrieved on November 17. 2005 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.

msnbc. com/news/ 263403. asp? cp1= 1. Smallwood. A.

( 2005 ) . Lula’s growing scheme: good for Brazil’s concern. bad for its environment. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs Policy Analysis. [ Electronic Version ] .

Retrieved on November 17. 2005 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. coha. org. Wheeler.

S. M. ; A ; Beatley. T. ( 2004 ) . The sustainable urban development reader.

( pp. 202-207 ) . New York: Routledge. Wikipedia. Org. ( 2005 ) .

Brazil. Retrieved on November 17. 2005 fromhypertext transfer protocol: //wikipedia. org.

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