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Brazil's IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística - Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) released a study today on sustainable development in Brazil indicating that air quality improved in the country but that deforestation and the use of fertilizers and pesticides remain intense.
According to the publication, "Indicators of Sustainable Development, 2004," Brazil has been achieving a rapid reduction in the use of substances that destroy the ozone layer, even bettering the target set by the Montreal Protocol.
Burnings and forest fires, on the other hand, continue out of control, with a tendency to increase. In 2003, nearly 213 thousand hot spots were detected by satellite in all regions of the country.
This second edition of the study - the first was published in 2002 - also contains information on the social, economic, and institutional areas.
It shows that the number of hospitalizations due to illnesses caused by the lack of basic sanitation decreased, while the number of homicide and traffic accident victims continues to grow.
Another indicator worthy of note is that the indigenous population rose from 294 thousand in 1991 to 734 thousand in 2000.
The data on nuclear energy show that Brazil still lacks secure deposits for nuclear wastes and that the stock of residues continues to grow.
The indicator for spending on research and development demonstrates a drop in the volume of federal government funds allocated to this area.
Altogether, there are 59 indicators on the sustainability of the Brazilian development model in the environmental, social, economic, and institutional areas.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
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