The existence of adequate infrastructure aims to meet the basic human needs, contributing to local development, poverty reduction and social inequalities. The aim of this article is to analyze the potential environmental impacts arising from infrastructure conditions in agrarian reform settlements in the State of Minas Gerais - Brazil. The methodology is based on the Leopold Matrix, which considers the environmental components: water pollution, soil degradation, land use and quality of life, in a sample of 1,270 lots. The variables analyzed were: water supply; sanitation; disposal of wastewater, dry waste, pesticide packaging and veterinary medicinal products; distribution of electricity and paving of public roads. The results indicate that the impacts are of greater negative potential in the Northern Mesoregion of Minas Gerais (70%), followed by Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba (60%), proving the hypothesis that the incipience in infrastructure conditions results in a greater negative environmental impact.

This article analyzes the acceptance or resistance of contract oil palm cultivation in Irituia. Research was based on an analysis of documents and secondary data sources, and included 30 interviews with oil palm farmers, a famers’ union member and representatives of the municipal institutions. Research findings show that initial differences regarding the activity remain until today. Those who defend the activity cite the possibilities of improving the quality of life for regional residents; defenders include a group of farmers and state government agents. Critics, those from municipal institutions, argue that oil palm cultivation is not fitting to the local reality and a separate group of farmers absorbed these criticisms and are apprehensive regarding the new activity.

This study assesses the risk of exposure to heat stress conditions and their potential impact on mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Brazilian capital cities for warming levels of 1.5 °C, 2.0 °C and 4.0 °C in the RCP8.5 scenario. The risk of exposure and the impact of heat stress conditions on mortality were measured by the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index. The impact on health was estimated by applying exposure-response curves between WBGT and health outcomes in the projections. The potential impact on mortality was measured by attributable fraction of mortality due to heat stress. The results showed an increase in heat stress conditions for Brazil, especially in the Northern and Center-Western regions. The estimated curves showed an association between the WBGT and mortality by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Brazil, with an upward impact trend, according to the levels of warming and heterogeneous results among the capitals.

We sought to identify priorities and adaptation opportunities for water security across the various Brazilian biomes. With ever-growing demand and water-usage, future climate scenarios suggest that further water resources management constraints are to be endured throughout the next two decades. The unbalance between high-quality water demand and availability in a multisectoral usage context (e.g., domestic, industry, agribusiness) highlights the socio-ecological Nexus+ concept's relevance. In this context, the political and cross-institutional articulation and flexibility play a significant role in steering adaptative actions. These challenges in defining action plans, adequately addressed at a multiscale level with inherent climatic uncertainties, are yet to be overcome in Brazilian water resources management.

Climate change has been considered, at a global level, as one of the main anthropogenic drivers of environmental transformation, especially on biomes, ecosystems and the most vulnerable population. In this regard, the concept of resilience has been widely used in ecology to explain the ecosystem transition thresholds by which forests and other habitats are able to restructure in the face of various external disturbances. However, the concept of resilience in facing climate change impacts and risks through the lens of socio-environmental risks in Brazil is still underdeveloped, especially at the biome level. This article uses the theory of critical transitions to ecological niche distribution modeling in future global warming scenarios by the end of the century, in order to highlight the change in ecological resilience of the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest and Pampa biomes, and how the changes in resilience can lead to an increased exposure, vulnerabilities and risks to socio-environmental security. This article shows how an interdisciplinary approach bringing together modeling of biome resilience may be a tool to support decision making and public policies on mitigation and adaptation to climate change and reduce risks to socio-environmental security.

This paper aims to present the methodology developed within the Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation (IVA) to climate change component of the Fourth National Communication (4CN) of Brazil. The methodological choice of this 4CN involves the application of the nexus+ integrated approach, based on studies of impacts and vulnerabilities for water, energy, food and socio-environmental securities, in the different in the territories of Brazilian biomes, coastal areas and cities. For each of these securities it were identified the observed impacts; analysis of risk conditions; definition and assessments of integrated analysis of key impacts at territorial level; inventory, selection and analysis of adaption options in the context of Nexus+, identifying synergies and trade-offs. This process made possible an integrated assessment among the conditioning risk factors, impacts and interactions among proposed adaptation options.

Climate change affects human health either directly or indirectly, and related impacts are complex, non-linear, and depend on several variables. The various climate change impacts on health include a change in the spatial distribution of vector-borne diseases. In this regard, this study presents and discusses changes in the spatial distribution of climate suitability for visceral leishmaniasis, yellow fever and malaria in Brazil, in different global warming scenarios. Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) was used to construct climate suitability models in warming scenarios. Models were based in climate variables generated by the Eta-HadGEM2 ES regional model, in the baseline period 1965-2005 and RCP8.5 scenario, representing global warming levels of 1,5ºC (2011-2040), 2,0ºC (2041-2070) and 4,0ºC (2071-2099). The three diseases studied are largely influenced by climate and showed different distribution patterns within the country. In global warming scenarios, visceral leishmaniasis found more favorable climate conditions in the Southeastern and Southern regions of Brazil, while climate in the Northern and Center-West regions gradually became more favorable to yellow fever. In malaria scenarios, an increase in favorable climate conditions to its high incidence was observed in the Atlantic Forest, where currently extra-Amazonian cases occur. The scenarios presented herein represent different possible consequences for the health sector in terms of adopting (or not) different measures to mitigate climate change in Brazil, such as reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

Environmental system modeling and landscape management

A Call to Responsibility

A saturação das zonas de influência portuária acentua impactos ambientais e conflitos socioespaciais, demandando alternativas logísticas. O porto seco possibilita a descentralização de atividades aduaneiras, de manuseio e armazenagem, mitigando parte dos problemas, além de estimular a economia na região onde é inserido. Dessa forma, a sua localização é crucial para a eficiência dos sistemas logísticos de importação e exportação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a distribuição espacial dos portos secos em Minas Gerais e identificar os melhores locais para uma nova instalação. A metodologia agregou dois métodos reconhecidos de definição locacional: a Análise Multicritério Espacial e o Problema de Localização-Alocação. O primeiro, em consonância com as práticas mais atuais no planejamento de transporte, integrou critérios sociais, ambientais e técnicos. O segundo, adotou o resultado da análise multicritério como demanda ponderada e aplicou uma meta heurística para solução do problema de otimização. Os resultados evidenciam a disparidade regional e a deficiência de infraestruturas logísticas no norte de Minas. Todos os cenários apontam a região de Montes Claros como candidata à instalação de um porto seco. A possibilidade de conciliar sociedade, ambiente e economia no planejamento de infraestrutura foi demonstrada.