Wicked multi-problems (COVID-19 + Oil Spill + wildFires) in Brazil and their effects on socioeconomic vulnerability

Abstract

PurposeThis research aims to identify Brazil's socioeconomic vulnerability to wicked multi-problems arising from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2019–2020), from the most extensive (∼ 3,000 km) oil spill in tropical oceans (2019/2020) and from the highest rate of wildfires in the last decade.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, the authors measured the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of the 27 Brazilian states to these multi-problems (COVID-19 + Oil Spill + wildFire), considering the effects of these events individually and together. In addition, the authors calculated the vulnerability indices using two variables: production value and number of jobs created by an economic activity.FindingsResults show the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro as the most susceptible, with a potential loss of 74.2% in production value and 47% in active employment relationships, caused by these overlapping events in time. The results also demonstrate that the country has failed in the coordination and management of these events (separately and jointly), showing difficulties especially in the stages of immediate response and recovery.Originality/valueRegarding its contributions, this paper innovates by establishing an unprecedented overlap of wicked problems, linking this concept to the analysis of socioeconomic vulnerability of the affected communities, through a model that applies to other regions worldwide.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2021-0536

Machine learning application to assess deforestation and wildfire levels in protected areas with tourism management

“…This study shows that threats such as deforestation and wildfires can compromise productive capacity and sustainable policies in the long term (Câmara et al, 2022;Gazoni & Brasileiro, 2021;Pfaff et al, 2014;Pivčević, Mikulić, & Krešić, 2021). The patterns of answers found in the constructs confirm other studies regarding the management of PAs (Gazoni & Brasileiro, 2021;Banerjee, 2012;Imran et al, 2014), which highlights how tourism management is important in the fight against these degradation processes.…”

“…It is noteworthy that in recent years, an increase in deforestation and wildfires has been noted in green areas, as well as ecosystem degradation, especially in tropical forests, where there is a significant and complex biodiversity, which requires a greater effort for reforestation (Baccini et al, 2017;Bera, Saha, & Bhattacharjee, 2020;Bera et al, 2022a,b;Câmara et al, 2022;Silva Jr. et al, 2021). In PAs across Brazil, for example, the increase in wildfires was 24.5% between 2019 and 2020 (Brazil, 2020).…”

Can the ocean economy in Brazil become blue?

“…It is therefore crucial that stakeholders develop public policies and regulatory frameworks taking into account the different activities related to the Brazilian coast from economic, social and environmental points of view. To do this, stakeholders require updated data that allow for a more precise understanding of the economic potential of this area and how it relates to the Brazilian GDP (Câmara et al, 2022;Andrade et al, 2022;Carvalho, 2018).…”

“…However, the authors do not work with indicators as a way of measuring SDGs and only focus on specific sectors of the ocean economy. In this sense, this study uses the methodology proposed by Câmara et al (2020Câmara et al ( , 2022, which measures the potential of a series of activities based on the values of wage mass generated in the sectors and their relation to the Gross Domestic Product. Focusing on ocean economy activities, we used the methodological process to group the SDGs and link them to the sectoral results of economic activities related to the BE.…”

Marine Pollution and Socioeconomic Vulnerability in Brazilian Coastal Cities

“…Still in this panorama, the concept of vulnerability is conceived, which in the social and economic sense relates to the material or moral susceptibility of certain social groups or society to risks or potential losses caused by extreme events (Hand et al, 2018). In this context, only a few studies (Câmara et al, 2020;Câmara et al, 2021;Câmara et al, 2022;Silva et al, 2022) have focused on aspects of the socioeconomic vulnerability of human communities in coastal zones, in relation to the value of production and employment links in economic sectors.…”