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COP30 in the Amazon: What can we expect?
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Dossier: Adaptation to extreme climate events and socio-environmental resilience: impacts, challenges, and strategies
The co-evolution of the Sustainability in Debate journal with sustainability issues and perspectives in a multilevel world
Energy access, embryonic urbanity, and development in Amazonian villages
This paper analyzes the relationship between electrification, sustainable development, and emerging urban structures in small villages of the western Brazilian Amazon. These communities, usually with one to five thousand inhabitants, present an early stage of urban consolidation that depends on reliable infrastructure to sustain wellbeing and socio environmental resilience. Using the concept of embryonic urbanity and the Social Progress Index as analytical references, the study evaluates how electricity access influences education, health, economic activity, and community organization. A case study of Caiambé, in the municipality of Tefé - western Brazilian Amazon, investigates the transition from a diesel-based power plant to a hybrid solar and battery system. Field observations and municipal indicators show that hybridization reduces fuel consumption, increases energy security, and strengthens SDG7 objectives. The results support low carbon strategies for isolated systems and offer guidance for improving the Luz para Todos with decarbonization program.
Coastal erosion in the Paraíba do Sul River basin: a preliminary analysis of land use and sedimentary dynamics
The Paraíba do Sul River basin supplies major urban centres, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and has been significantly impacted by urbanisation and multiple water uses. Over time, water demand has increased for the construction of hydropower dams and water-transfer systems. This research preliminarily examines how land-use changes and hydrometeorological trends have influenced sediment transport. We conducted an integrated analysis using sediment data from the National Water Agency (ANA) and land use data (1985–2021) from MapBiomas. Results show significant declines in river discharge and sediment load, likely due to reduced soil erosion from land-use changes, increased water demand, and reservoir flow regulation. Although coastal erosion at the river mouth is worsening, its causes cannot be attributed to basin disturbances, as coastal processes and climate change may also influence it. Given data limitations, the findings remain preliminary and require further observational and modelling studies.
Spatial distribution of socio-environmental vulnerability in urban flood-prone areas in the Municipality of Araruama-RJ
This study analyses socio-environmental vulnerability in Araruama, a municipality in the Lagos São João Hydrographic Region, in Rio de Janeiro, with a history of hydrometeorological disasters and a high number of homeless people. Based on 2010 Census data integrated with the flood susceptibility zone of the SGB and official and media flood records, thematic maps were developed in a GIS environment and crossed with official and media flood records between 2009 and 2023. Twenty-four affected neighbourhoods were identified. The spatialisation of exposure, combined with social vulnerability, enables the identification of the location of the most affected population. Proximity to water bodies was common among the most critical sectors. Areas of extreme socio-environmental vulnerability are located near a river and exhibit low response capacity. The study highlights the need to adopt monitoring and forecasting systems and public policies for the adaptation of the most affected neighbourhoods
“We are victims of one of the most brutal disinformation campaigns about the Amazon”: an analysis of Jair Bolsonaro’s speeches at the UN (2019– 2022)
An aspect that drew attention during the Bolsonaro administration (2019-2022) was his anti environmental rhetoric and policy. The central argument of this article is that by denying environmental sciences, Bolsonaro not only sought to dismantle an epistemic order based on mainstream scientific knowledge, but also to (de)construct a social order. To support this argument, we analysed his United Nations speeches from 2019 to 2022 using the notion of coproduction, as defined in Science and Technology Studies (STS) by Jasanoff (2004a, 2004b). The results show Bolsonaro’s attempt to produce new representations for the Amazon and new identities for the media, science, foreign countries and a “new Brazil.” We conclude that Bolsonaro sought to redefine the truth about environmental issues in the country to underpin and legitimise the dismantling of an institutional order of environmental protection built in Brazil over decades. Based on this conclusion, we critically reflect on the STS literature on the denialism of Jair Bolsonaro and his followers and on the concept of post-truth.
Perceived impacts of natural disasters in the Serrana Region of Rio de Janeiro, as reported by members of support organisations
This study sought to identify, from the perspectives of representatives of associations supporting disaster-affected individuals, the impacts of natural disasters on municipalities in the Mountain Region of Rio de Janeiro and the response mechanisms employed. Qualitative analysis of questionnaire responses from these representatives revealed impacts across health, education, leisure, safety, and the economy. Notable issues included mental health problems in adults and children, difficulties in providing adequate shelter and housing – both for directly affected and at-risk populations – economic losses, and a pervasive sense of insecurity regarding the risk of further events. Representatives emphasised that public authorities should respond effectively through urban planning, disaster prevention, and the strengthening of health and education services to adequately support affected populations in the short, medium, and long term.
Food choices and the transition to sustainable diets: motivations among Brazilian university students with different dietary profiles
In a context of growing demand for sustainable food systems, this study examines the psychosocial determinants of food choices among Brazilian university students, employing the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) expanded to include a “concern for animals” dimension. The sample consisted of 1,582 students. Four dietary groups (omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans) were compared using ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests. The results indicated statistically significant differences across all evaluated dimensions. Health, convenience, and sensory appeal yielded the highest average scores. Vegetarians and vegans placed more value on ethical aspects and animal welfare. Animal concern emerged as the most salient dimension differentiating the groups, with progressively higher scores from omnivores to vegans. Omnivores placed less importance on ethics and animal welfare. The findings contribute to the understanding of food motivations in contexts of food transition and provide directions for promoting more sustainable choices among university students.
Participatory Geographic Information System: citizen science approach in Potiguara Indigenous Land of Paraíba - Brazil
Indigenous culture and ancestry have been historically threatened in the Potiguara Indigenous Territory in Paraíba, generating conflicts within its territory. The Territorial and Environmental Management Plan (PGTA) is a fundamental tool for addressing these conflicts. This article integrated a citizen science approach with a social cartographic map in a participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) to identify the social-environmental impacts observed by the Potiguara, in defence of indigenous and traditional territories. PGIS workshop, along with guided tours and drone overflights, mapped together 29 Potiguara indigenous aspects of cultural, social, environmental, and political themes, identifying: 68 places related to cultural aspects; and 27 points of potential/threats. The citizen science approach connected with PGIS was essential for the territorial claim of the Potiguara, highlighting five key elements for its applicability: (1) creating a trustful environment; (2) recognizing local and traditional knowledge; (3) analyzing conflicts across temporal and spatial scales; (4) promoting empowerment in the use of geotechnologies; and (5) including Potiguara intergenerational participation in the identification and monitoring of social-environmental impacts.
Environmental and Territorial Management Plan
Ups and downs of public attention on climate change: the southern Brazil floods through Anthony Downs’s issue-attention cycle
This article analyses the public attention in Brazil to the 2024 extreme weather event in Rio Grande do Sul, focusing on the problem of climate change. The study aimed to assess whether public opinion followed Downs’ (1972) “Issue-Attention Cycle” or displayed a different pattern. Using a content analysis of the term “climate change” on the Folha de São Paulo website, over 3 months before and 6 months after the event, we found a sharp increase in climate change-related coverage following the f loods, indicating increased public interest. However, this surge in attention was short-lived, with a significant decline in approximately 30 days after the event. These results suggest that public attention to climate change issues is intense but fleeting, posing challenges for policymakers and other actors seeking to leverage this “window of opportunity” to advance climate-related public policies.
Social action to address the climate catastrophe of May 2024 in the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region: developing a contingency plan to build socio-environmental resilience at the Filhos de Sepé settlement
Extreme weather events are a consequence of climate change, whose effects have become more frequent and severe, as has been observed in the Porto Alegre Metropolitan Region (PAMR). In this socio-biodiverse area, communal areas, such as settlements resulting from agrarian reform, have been severely affected. Against this backdrop, the aim is to analyse the social action involved in creating a contingency plan for the Filhos de Sepé settlement, taking into account the associated impacts and strategies adopted. The methodology involved fieldwork and the systematic analysis of the participatory contingency planning stages. The settlement demonstrated responsiveness and solidarity with other settlements and territories by implementing strategies such as community kitchens, collective sewing, support brigades, animal rescue, and native seedling production. This historical social organisation, based on popular organisation, enabled the creation of a participatory contingency plan in response to organised civil society, thereby contributing to the socio-environmental resilience of PAMR territories.
Curricularisation of Extension Activities
Climate change and the adaptive adjustments of traditional extractive communities in the Médio Juruá territory, Central Amazon
In the Médio Juruá territory, local governance is strongly led by extractive communities. However, climate change has made the adaptations of riverine socio-ecological systems insufficient in the face of transformations in the region's physical-climatic rhythms. With this in mind, this study aimed to analyse climate change in terms of temperature and fluvial disasters, its socio-environmental implications and the adaptive adjustments adopted by extractivist communities in Médio Juruá. We combined analysis of physical climate data and semi-structured interviews with social actors from traditional riverside communities in the region. We found that climate change is already impacting the region. Extractive communities are feeling the impacts of increased excessive heat, rainfall, and extreme fluvial events, which are altering the dynamics of work and life in these communities. Communities are responding with a series of autonomous, adaptive adjustments, while government strategies are limited to emergency support. Traditional extractive communities need robust adaptation policies and programs that can increase the resilience of their socio-ecological systems.
Denialism as a political force and sustainability setbacks
Community-organised disaster response to the 2019 Northeast Brazil Oil Spill in small-scale fishing territories in Bahia, Brazil
The 2019 Northeast Brazil Oil Spill represents an opportunity to observe small-scale fishing communities’ disaster response capacity and identify opportunities to improve resilience. With a delayed and disjointed national government response, many communities organised clean-up activities and other actions. A mixed-methods study including a questionnaire (n=168) and semi-structured interviews (n=11) was conducted in two municipalities in Bahia to analyse the disaster response. 66.1% (111/168) of the questionnaire respondents participated in clean-up efforts, with greater participation in the community, with more fishing trade associations and government support. The rapid mobilisation of these volunteer efforts was a positive indicator of resilience, although fishers’ involvement puts them at risk for health consequences. Risk management, access to materials, and emergency literacy were weaknesses in the disaster response. While government management and ownership are needed during acute disasters, partnerships with fishing communities could serve to enhance disaster resilience due to their pre-existing organisational structures and demonstrated willingness to volunteer as first responders.
Climate dialogues and adaptive management: interventions for an experiential learning space in Novo Airão (AM), Amazon Region
Climate change intensifies extreme events in the Amazon Region, including droughts and floods, which affect its local socio-ecological systems and increase local challenges and uncertainties. Experiential learning is an assumption in adaptive management that seeks to address information gaps and contribute to adjustments in the management process in response to uncertainties, increasing the adaptive capacity of socio-ecological systems. This paper presents the results of an action research study that aimed to promote reflexive thinking and understand the experiential learning process under the climate challenges in the Amazon Region. The study conducted participatory workshops with public administration actors, private sector actors, scholars, and civil society in the municipality of Novo Airão, located in the Amazonas state (AM). We employed dialogical approaches and knowledge-building during the participatory workshops, integrating local, technical, and scientific knowledge. The oriented interaction among actors and the use of these methodological tools allowed us to identify risk areas and vulnerabilities and propose actions from a local perspective. This process indicated that spaces for dialogue strengthen the development of contextualised responses, and it highlights adaptive management as a strategy for addressing climate uncertainties.
Recommendations for a sustainable food guide for the Brazilian population: consensus among experts
This study aimed to develop recommendations for a sustainable dietary guide for the Brazilian population. Using a qualitative methodology and the Delphi technique, the research was conducted in two phases: a literature review and expert evaluation. Initially, 23 recommendations were proposed, addressing food production, origin, processing, consumption habits, and resource conservation. In the second phase, 17 experts rated each recommendation's importance and feasibility. All recommendations were accepted (mean score > 3.5), with the highest ratings for proper waste disposal, recyclable packaging, and food waste reduction. Recommendations like consuming foods from sustainable systems and self-cultivation were deemed less feasible. The findings support the development of public policies and dietary guidelines that align with the Sustainable Development Goals. Current guidelines rarely integrate economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This study helps fill that gap by offering a structured framework for promoting healthy and sustainable eating habits in Brazil.
Necropolitics of winds: social determination of mental health in the face of exposure to wind power enterprises in rural communities of Pernambuco
The implementation of wind farms produces transformations in and around communities, causing diverse impacts in multiple areas, revealing vulnerability processes. This research aimed to understand these processes in rural communities in Pernambuco, Brazil, due to these projects. This quantitative and qualitative action research was conducted through semi-structured interviews, with health assessments using instruments, tests, and audiometry. We adopted content analysis to analyse the data and strengthen the struggle of these communities. To understand this persistent backdrop of violence, the research employs necropolitics as per Achille Mbembe (2020) and the social determination of health, as per Jaime Breilh (2006, 2013). We observed that the arrival and operation of wind turbines coincided with the emergence and deterioration of health signs and symptoms, especially mental health. Therefore, caution is urgently needed when planning and building wind farms, as such health problems can be temporary or permanent, leading the local community to constant distress and even a lack of will to live.
Municipal climate vulnerability in Western Paraná (2012–2024): a multivariate approach to territorial planning
This study investigates the occurrence of extreme weather events in municipalities of the Western mesoregion of Paraná, Brazil, between 2012 and 2024, using records from the State Civil Defence database. The adopted methodology involved multivariate statistical analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), applied to data categorised into five event types: flash floods, flooding, heavy rainfall, gales, and hail. The results revealed distinct spatial patterns of municipal vulnerability, allowing the identification of groups of municipalities more prone to specific types of events. The proposed approach contributes to territorial planning and the formulation of public policies aimed at risk management and climate change adaptation.
Housing Deficit Index (HDI) in Brazil: analysis based on the 2022 Census Data
This study analyses the Housing Deficit Index (HDI) in Brazil based on data from the 2022 Demographic Census. The index incorporates indicators of inadequate access to water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management. A cross-sectional ecological design was applied, using descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results show significant regional and urban-rural disparities, with the worst housing conditions concentrated in the North and Northeast regions. The HDI was strongly correlated with the Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI) and moderately associated with the Brazilian Deprivation Index (IBP). In addition, municipalities classified as more deprived exhibited significantly higher proportions of non-white populations, reinforcing the relationship between housing precariousness and structural racial inequality. The HDI proved to be a robust and replicable tool for monitoring housing deprivation, offering support for territorialised public policies aimed at reducing socio-spatial and racial disparities in access to basic infrastructure.
Transparency in sustainability reporting: a case study of Natura Cosméticos S.A. on the practice of voluntary disclosure
Sustainability reports stand out as key communication tools for environmental, social, and economic issues with stakeholders, meeting the demands of a market to integrate environmental considerations into organisational practices. The objective of this research is to analyse the level of transparency in sustainability reports and the reliability of information in Natura Cosméticos S.A.'s annual disclosures. This research is classified as exploratory qualitative and incorporates an analysis of documents by examining Natura Cosméticos S.A.'s sustainability reports from 2020 to 2023. The results reveal a selectivity of information, prioritising optimistic disclosures to favour the company's self-image and the maintenance of its social contract. This research contributes to scientific advancement in the field of environmental management and encourages interdisciplinary studies focused on legitimate transparency.
Agrobiodiversity and resource supply to pollinators in agroforests in the Vale do Ribeira region, São Paulo
Agroforests are productive systems that can be managed with high species richness and based on practices that favour essential ecological interactions, imitating the functioning of forest ecosystems. To verify the agrobiodiversity managed in agroforests and the supply of floral resources to pollinators, this research was conducted with 20 family farmers who manage agroforests in nine municipalities in the Vale do Ribeira region, São Paulo. Through the guided tour, a great wealth of species and varieties was identified, around 350 in total. In the agroforests visited, the number of managed species varied from 25 to 93, with the best coverage of flowering species being from farmers who are already beekeepers. Among the managed species, there is a high number of native species from the Atlantic Forest Biome and food plants, which reinforces the potential of agroforests for the ethnoconservation of biodiversity and food and nutritional security. Furthermore, approximately 71% of the species are honey-producing, confirming the capacity of agroforests to provide food resources to pollinators. Considering that agroforestry stands out as an important strategy for promoting socio-environmental benefits and adapting to climate change, the results of this study reaffirm its potential in facing challenges and fulfilling commitments linked to sustainable development at a global level.
Sustainable tourism on Instagram: insights from Hispanic centennials
This study examines sustainable tourism representation on Instagram through #turismosostenible and #turismosustentable, focusing on Spanish-speaking users and posts from 2023. Content analysis reveals a strong emphasis on environmental conservation and sustainable practices, predominantly showcased through natural landscapes and informational content. User-generated content, especially personal photos, dominates the narrative, highlighting the role of grassroots storytelling. However, cultural heritage, community engagement, and certified destinations are notably underrepresented, signalling opportunities to diversify sustainability narratives. Rural and peak-season tourism are the most prominent, while off-peak travel and urban green spaces receive less attention. The limited participation of official tourism boards and non-governmental organisations suggests the need for more robust institutional involvement. This research provides insights into leveraging social media to promote inclusive and impactful sustainability communication, offering practical recommendations to enhance digital strategies.
SDG 12.2 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Assessment of socio-environmental sustainability and resilience in a rural settlement in Southeast Pará, Amazon
The study conducted at the Castanhal Araras Settlement Project in São João do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil, assessed socio-environmental sustainability using a mixed methods approach. The research was grounded in diagnostic analysis of agrarian systems and the Framework for the Assessment of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (Mesmis). Data collection involved field notes, interviews, photographic records and participant observation. The results indicated a ‘compromised’ level of sustainability in both the social (score: 37) and environmental (score: 39) dimensions. On the social front, strengths included the use of family labour and a generally satisfactory quality of life. However, there were notable challenges regarding access to water, social inclusion, and community participation. Environmentally, while positive practices like diversified livelihoods and partial conservation efforts were present, they were offset by issues like pesticide use, soil compaction, the use of fire and extensive cattle ranching. Resilience was observed through the adoption of agroforestry systems and resourcefulness in agricultural practices. To address these challenges, it is essential to strengthen environmental education, enhance community engagement, and promote sustainable land management practices.
Resolution No. 507/2024 of the Brazilian National Environmental Council: the discourses present in its drafting process
Given that conceptions about sustainable forest management (SFM) are shaped by discourses that propose different "world views", we characterise, based on discourse theory, the discourses and narratives present in the drafting process of Resolution No. 507/2024 of the Brazilian National Environmental Council, aimed at regulating the SFM of the Caatinga. The production of the Resolution was marked by discourses and coalitions that propose alternative and, to some extent, contrasting narratives about institutional action related to forest governance and SFM, as well as to the sustainable exploitation of forest resources. The dominance of the administrative simplification discourse reflects an imbalance of power and the consolidation of a “technical-bureaucratic” approach to forest management and SFM. However, it was widely understood that SFM could enable the transition beyond forest extractivism, establishing itself as a forestry policy essential for ensuring the sustainability of the Caatinga.
Sustainability, democracy and knowledge: interdependence under attack