RIO DE JANERIO
Geographic Profile
Rio covers a total arae of 2,553 squared km, and hosts a population of 11 million. This city is hot for most of the year, and rain is frequent from December to March. The average temp-erature is 21-27 degrees. The coastal areas are cooler than inland due to cool breezes from the Alantic Ocean.
Rio De Janerio is the 23rd largest megacity in the world, and has great views and landforms. This megacity also hosts the most urban forest in Brazil, and is very cultral and historical. The city is made of mountains, forests, seas and beaches,which are well known for great surfing.
Rio De Janerio is the 23rd largest megacity in the world, and has great views and landforms. This megacity also hosts the most urban forest in Brazil, and is very cultral and historical. The city is made of mountains, forests, seas and beaches,which are well known for great surfing.
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Economic Profile
Below, to the left is Rio De Janerio's economic profile, while to the right is Australia's identical profile. By comparing these two tables income and poverty, transport, expenditure on food, fuel and power, communicatons, rate and trade, and employment for each country are visible and it is evident that these are two very different countries.
Social Profile
Rio De Janeiro has many social problems. These problems can occur within a few meters of each other. On one side of Rio is the upper class, which has mansions and the best education while. on the other side are the people who live in poor conditions. These people live in slums and have no even a basic education. The city today has high levels of crime. Between 1978 and 2000 about 50,000 people were killed in Rio, most from drug trafficking, robberies, or bullets. However, evidence shows that violence has declined in recent years. Statistics from 2008 reveals that in Rio the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants dropped 40%. Historical factors, urbanization of society, and inequalities are just some of the factors that have led to the profile that is today.These factors need to be understood and analysed to find solutions for these problems that affect the city and its residents. Brazil is faced with many social and environmental problems such as deforestation, acid rain, endangered species, air pollution and waste disposal. In this country and the city of Riol there are many people who work towards helping overcome these problems, but there are also many people who don’t do anything to avoid these problems.
Deforestation
As Brazil is home to the world-renowned Amazon Rainforest, deforestation has become a major concern. When a tree is cut down, it releases ore extraction in the middle of the Amazon. As carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, risks of climate change are increased. Acid Rain When the levels of sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxide rise in the atmosphere, the result is rain and precipitation that is high in these gases. In turn this is harmful to the soil and delicate ecosystems on which they settle. In fact, acid rain can kill freshwater fish as well as 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 acidity level of its soil and water changes. This limits the plants and animals that can thrive in the area. 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 possum, black-faced lion tamarin, Brazilian arboreal mouse, ring-tail monkey, Coimbra’s titi monkey, golden-rumped lion tamarin, Northern Bahian blond titi monkey and northern muriqui. 2014, Brazil Environmental Issues [online], available at http://www.brazil.org.za/environmental-issues.html#.VGBcxPmUd8E, 1.11.14 2014, Social Issues in Brazil [online], available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issues_in_Brazil, 1.11.14 2014, Brazilian Social Issues [online], available at http://www.brazil.org.za/social-issues.html#.VGBe0fmUd8E, 1.11.14 2014, Brazil Environmental-Current Issues [online], available at http://www.indexmundi.com/brazil/environment_current_issues.html, 1.11.14 2014, Brazil [online], available at http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20brazil.htm, 1.11.14 |
Air Pollution
Air pollution in Rio has increased, mainly as a result of the rapid urbanisation and industrial development taking place. As the population numbers boom, the city was forced to expand with little regard for the environment. The infrastructure built used products and methods that release harmful pollution into the air.At present Rio is exploring alternatives to reduce it's pollution production. 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. Using recycled and recyclable goods, and educating residents of responsible use and disposal of waste, both in the home and workplace, will help to control this problem. |
Problems and Challenges
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Managment of Problems and Challenges & Solutions and Responses to these Challenges
Social inequality or the gap between rich and poor is a major problem in Rio De Janerio. Within this problem many other problem arise, including violence, drug trafficking, crime and deficiencies in the areas of health, education, housing and transport systems.
Lack of energy due to infrastructure shortage and high pollution rates of both air and water, contribute to environmental problems for this megacity.
While Government Organisations are responsible for improving the lives of people in Rio De Janerio, many Non-Government Organisations throughout Brazil also produce documents containing information to help with this cities problems.
The ministry of environment is responsible for Brazil’s national environment policy which deals with climate change environment quality, biodiversity and forest and water resources. They also deal with sustainable rural and urban development, and air and water pollution. A solution that has been developed to help with waste, and to also help with production of energy is the collection of methane, with is then converted into electricity. This eliminates 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emission each year.
Lack of energy due to infrastructure shortage and high pollution rates of both air and water, contribute to environmental problems for this megacity.
While Government Organisations are responsible for improving the lives of people in Rio De Janerio, many Non-Government Organisations throughout Brazil also produce documents containing information to help with this cities problems.
The ministry of environment is responsible for Brazil’s national environment policy which deals with climate change environment quality, biodiversity and forest and water resources. They also deal with sustainable rural and urban development, and air and water pollution. A solution that has been developed to help with waste, and to also help with production of energy is the collection of methane, with is then converted into electricity. This eliminates 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emission each year.
In 2008, a program known as the Favela Pacification Program was introduced to Rio’s slum areas. This program has been very positively accepted and has resulted in the reduction of crime violence and drug trafficking. The Military Police patrol this programme and their long term goal is to bridge the inequality gap and join these residents into mainstream society with education of the poor, especially the younger generations.
There have been some positive responses to this challenge, in that homicide rates and crime rates have dropped since the introduction of this program. However there is still a long way to go to bring these areas into total safety. Increasing numbers of police to patrol the areas is a way of dealing with this, however this is an expensive and dangerous job.
There have been some positive responses to this challenge, in that homicide rates and crime rates have dropped since the introduction of this program. However there is still a long way to go to bring these areas into total safety. Increasing numbers of police to patrol the areas is a way of dealing with this, however this is an expensive and dangerous job.
Traffic congestion in Rio is another major problem faced by the Government of the State of Rio. To decrease pollution and traffic jams they created and continue to improve the “metro” train service. They are currently expanding this service and it is believed that each day 1 1000 000 of the 11 million people in Rio us the metro system to commute. Such a system removes cars and therefore people and pollution from the streets of Rio. This has been a very positive solution to a major problem within this megacity.
Fome Zero, is another initiative of the Brazilian Government, aiming to end hunger and extreme poverty in Rio De Janerio. By giving aid to the poor, educating them re eating habits and health problems, giving vitamin supplements and supporting family farming the government is trying to decrease the deficiencies experienced in the areas of health, education and housing in bring an end to the poverty cycle.
From results published by Da Silva, Del Grossi and De Franca the government has indeed implemented a very successful plan. Extreme poverty in this area has reduced by half in the last 25 years, income per capita has tripled and income of family farming has increased by 33%. With these factors changing, so too have the areas of health (the average life expectancy has increased) education (levels of primary and secondary schooling increased) and to a lesser amount housing, all for the better of the city.
Fome Zero, is another initiative of the Brazilian Government, aiming to end hunger and extreme poverty in Rio De Janerio. By giving aid to the poor, educating them re eating habits and health problems, giving vitamin supplements and supporting family farming the government is trying to decrease the deficiencies experienced in the areas of health, education and housing in bring an end to the poverty cycle.
From results published by Da Silva, Del Grossi and De Franca the government has indeed implemented a very successful plan. Extreme poverty in this area has reduced by half in the last 25 years, income per capita has tripled and income of family farming has increased by 33%. With these factors changing, so too have the areas of health (the average life expectancy has increased) education (levels of primary and secondary schooling increased) and to a lesser amount housing, all for the better of the city.