Brazil Environmental Issues

Brazil Environmental Issues

Waste Disposal

Like most major countries in the world, Brazil produces enormous amounts of solid waste, or garbage. This has to be taken away from occupied areas and destroyed or disposed of. However, such waste poisons the soil, air and water, creating the dilemma of what to do with it. Currently, Brazil produces more than 161 000 tons of solid waste every day. Almost two-thirds of Brazilian municipalities use landfills to dispose of such waste. As landfills become larger, natural areas have to be reduced and the soil in and around the landfills becomes toxic, or unable to sustain life. The solution includes the use of recycled and recyclable goods, as well as a major education campaign that assists with the responsible use and disposal of various items, both in the home and workplace.

Endangered Species

Due to the fertile conditions of Brazil, it has always been the home of an array of animal and plant species. However, due to hunting, the destruction of habitat and the introduction of foreign, competitive species, Brazil’s natural fauna has experienced a huge decline in numbers. At the moment, there are hundreds of species under threat of extinction. Some of them include the jaguar, sea turtle, spiny rice rat, bushy-tailed opossum, black-faced lion tamarind, Brazilian arboreal mouse, ring-tail monkey, Coimbatore’s tit monkey, golden-dumper lion tamarind, Northern Bahia blond tit monkey and northern murmuring.

Acid Rain

Air Pollution

When the levels of Sulfur Dioxide or Nitrogen Oxide rise in the atmosphere, the result is rain and precipitation that is high in these gases, which are harmful to the soil and delicate ecosystems on which they settle. In fact, acid rain can kill freshwater fish as well as the plants and animals that depend on neutral or alkaline conditions in which to live. When an area is subject to ongoing acid rain, the natural pH (acidity level) of its soil and water changes, which limits the plants and animals that can thrive there.

Air pollution in Brazil has increased, mainly as a result of the rapid urbanization and industrial development taking place in most of the city centers. As the population numbers boomed, cities were forced to expand with little regard for their environmental responsibility. This, in turn, meant that the infrastructure and so on was built using products and methods that release harmful pollution into the air. Many of the cities and towns are exploring alternatives to reduce their pollution production.

Deforestation

Because Brazil is home to the world-renowned Amazon Rainforest and the basin it occupies, deforestation has become a major cause for concern in this area. Every minute, vast proportions of these forests, dubbed the "Lungs of the world" need Oxygen that they produce, are being torn down for timber.