Search

This article analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly in Brazil. It deals with the current situation of the Brazilian indigenous peoples, the impacts of the pandemic, the rights created on the adoption of protective sanitary measures for indigenous people and land rights in Brazil. Does the Brazilian government comply with international law, with constitutional rights of indigenous peoples in the current COVID-19 crisis, particularly with the Brazilian Supreme Court decision on the adoption of protective sanitary measures for indigenous people? With a focus on the 2020 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, this paper will identify and examine the gaps in protection of the indigenous peoples rights by reason of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. This paper argues that the crisis is misused as an occasion for land invasions, deforestation, forest fires and the denial of basic indigenous rights. Especially in Brazil, a transformative change, an emergency support for indigenous peoples, and a still stand agreement on logging and extractive industries operating next to indigenous communities are needed. Brazilian NGO statements give guidelines as to how to manage the threats of the present pandemic on indigenous peoples of Brazil. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation all offer further relevant suggestions as to how to address the serious impacts in the response to and the aftermath of this crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How relevant is the role of CO2 from harvested wood products (HWPs) for the Brazilian GHG emission balance? The C stocks and CO2 emissions and removals from the HWPs in Brazil during 1900–2016 were evaluated using three methodological approaches: stock-change approach (SCA), production approach (PA), and stock-change of domestic origin (SCDOA). Data from the FAO's FAOSTAT system on production, import and export of semi-finished products (sawnwood, wood-based panels and paper/paperboard) were analyzed, considering distinct land-use activities: deforestation (D), forest management (FM) and afforestation/reforestation (A/R). Two scenarios to evaluate the effect of HWPs from D were evaluated. The C stock in HWPs in 2016 reached 252 Mt C, by SCA. Contributions to C storage historically were higher from sawnwood, but wood-based panels and paper/paperboard have recently outperformed it. A/R is the major activity responsible for C storage in HWPs. The CO2 removal by HWPs was 521 Mt during 1990–2016, which corresponds to 1.1% of the country's emissions in the same period. It was concluded that Brazil has become a major producer and wood consumer and that HWPs are allies for a positive C balance and fulfillment of the commitments assumed by the country regarding climate change. AFOLU Agriculture, forestry and other land uses A/R Afforestation/reforestation D Deforestation FAO United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FM Forest management HWPs Harvested wood products IBGE Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics PA Production approach PEVS Plant extraction and forestry SCA Stock-change approach SCDOA Stock-change of domestic origin approach [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Energy-Water-Food Nexus is one of the most complex sustainability challenges faced by the world. This is particularly true in Brazil, where insufficiently understood interactions within the Nexus are contributing to large-scale deforestation and land-use change, water and energy scarcity, and increased vulnerability to climate change. The reason is a combination of global environmental change and global economic change, putting unprecedented pressures on the Brazilian environment and ecosystems. In this paper, we identify and discuss the main Nexus challenges faced by Brazil across sectors (e.g. energy, agriculture, water) and scales (e.g. federal, state, municipal). We use four case studies to explore all nodes of the Nexus. For each, we analyse data from economic and biophysical modelling sources in combination with an overview of the legislative and policy landscape, in order to identify governance shortcomings in the context of growing challenges. We analyse the complex interdependence of developments at the global and local (Brazilian) levels, highlighting the impact of global environmental and economic change on Brazil and, conversely, that of developments in Brazil for other countries and the world. We conclude that there is a need to adjust the scientific approach to these challenges as an enabling condition for stronger science-policy bridges for sustainability policy-making. Highlights • Overview of the Energy-Water-Food Nexus in Brazil for science, law and policy. • Review of the complex linkages in the Nexus for water, energy and food security. • Review of the law addressing the Nexus and its coordination deficiencies. • Recommendations for strengthening the Nexus science-policy bridge in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrestrial biosphere is an important global carbon (C) sink, with the potential to drive large positive climate feedbacks. Thus a better understanding of interactions between land use change, climate change and the terrestrial biosphere is crucial in planning future land management options. Climate change has the potential to alter terrestrial C storage since changes in temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations could affect net primary production (NPP), C inputs to soil, and soil C decomposition rates. Climate change could also act as a driver for land use change, thus further altering terrestrial C fluxes. The net balance of these different effects varies considerably between regions and hence the case studies presented in this paper (the GEFSOC project countries Kenya, Jordan, Brazil, and India) provide a unique opportunity to study climate impacts on terrestrial C storage. This paper first presents predicted changes in climate for the four case study countries from a coupled climate-C cycle Global Circulation Model (HadCM3LC), followed by predicted changes in vegetation type, NPP and soil C storage. These very coarse assessments provide an initial estimate of large-scale effects. A more detailed study of climate impacts on soil C storage in the Brazilian Amazon is provided as an example application of the GEFSOC system. Interestingly in the four cases studied here precipitation seems to control the sign of the soil C changes under climate change with wetter conditions resulting in higher soil C stocks and drier conditions in lower soil C stocks, presumably because increased NPP in wetter conditions here will override any increase in respiration. In contrast, globally, it seems to be temperature that controls changes in C stocks under climate change. Even if there is a slight increase in precipitation globally, a decrease in C stocks is predicted—in other words, the regional response to precipitation differs from the global response. The reason for this may be that whilst temperature increases under climate change were predicted everywhere, the nature of precipitation changes varies greatly between regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Assessing the relative contribution of Land Use and Cover Changes (LUCC) and climate changes on runoff still represents a great challenge for water resources management. This issue is particularly critical for the Upper Paraná River Basin (UPRB), one of the most important basins in South America and responsible for most of the production of food, ethanol, and electricity generation in Brazil. In this paper, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to quantitatively assess the relative contribution of both forcings. The simulation period included a time of great importance for climate studies, known as the 1970s global climate shift, and of great impact on river discharge within the UPRB. Three land use and cover scenarios were assigned to the 1961–1990 period of simulations, representing land use and cover during a pristine period (around the Year 1500), 1960, and 1985. Thirteen years of precipitation before and after the climate shift (considered to be the period 1974–1977) were analyzed and compared. Results showed a precipitation increase for the basin in general after the climate shift. The increase in rainfall reached up to 15% in many northern areas and more than 20% in the southern parts of the basin. By comparing all simulations, results indicate that both LUCC and precipitation increase due to the climate shift had a significant effect on the changes in annual discharge of the largest rivers of the UPRB. However, the results suggest that the impact of the precipitation increase on the discharge exceeded that of the LUCC. Between 1960 and 1985 the LUCC accounts for about 16% of the increase of the median annual discharge, whereas climate shift accounts for an increase of about 32%. These findings, suggesting a more relevant role for the climate, are consistent with two recent water crisis experienced by the country in the last decades, caused by prolonged below-normal rainfall throughout 2001/2002 and again in 2014/2015. [Display omitted] • We simulated land use and cover from a pristine period (Year 1500), 1960, and 1985. • We evaluated the effects of precipitation change on discharge from 1961 to 1990. • Natural vegetation fell by more than half of the original area up to 1985. • Precipitation increased by more than 20% after the 1970s global climate shift. • Results suggest that climate shift is the main driver in increasing annual discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between land use and topography on the variations of temperature and relative humidity in urban and rural municipalities in the Contagem and Betim, south-central state of Minas Gerais- Brazil. The measurement of climatic data occurred during the winter (20/06 - 21/09/2011) continuously and simultaneously, at intervals of sixty minutes, using the automatic sensors (dataloggers - Icel HT model 4000). The weather station INMET, headquartered on the campus of UFMG were used for calibration of instruments and control of the local variations of climatic elements. The data obtained were analyzed in a comparative way in a time sequence taking into account the environmental characteristics (topography and land use) and atmospheric. The temperature of the air taken in urban showed count on "delay" in its development in hourly and lower amplitude when compared to data measured in Betim (rural area). Was attributed these facts to the topographical situation of each of the positions and characteristics of conservation and heat production in the urban environment associated with low specific heat of the materials used in construction, higher density of buildings, relative lack of green areas and participation additional sources of anthropogenic heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]