Environmental Justice: A Case of Socio-environmental Vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Environmental justice addresses the unequal environmental burden often borne by minorities and low-income populations. In Brazil, many studies confirm extreme socio-environmental inequities in urban areas. Analysis based on socio-environmental vulnerability allows us to understand the intra-urban spatial distribution of socio-environmental differences and to provide insight for the development of planning policies that enhance the capacity of communities to respond to multiple risks (social, environmental, etc.) (Mendonça, 2004). This study examines the levels of socio-environmental vulnerability in the Jacarepaguá lowlands of Rio de Janeiro, taking into account the existing strengths and limitations of public administrations in their efforts to balance private and public interests in regards to environmental justice.

Keywords:

• Environmental justice,
• socio-environmental vulnerability,
• socio-environmental indicators

Résumé

La question de la justice environnementale renvoie aux inégalités dans le fardeau environnemental que subissent le plus souvent les minorités et les personnes à faible revenu. Des recherches effectuées au Brésil ont recensé des situations d’injustice socio-environnementale grave dans les zones urbaines. Cette analyse s’intéresse plus particulièrement à la vulnérabilité socio-environnementale afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure les différences socio-environnementales se répartissent dans l’espace intra-urbain et de constituer une base de connaissances pour que la capacité de réaction des communautés aux risques multiples (sociaux, environnementaux, etc.) soit prise en compte dans les décisions en matière d’urbanisme (Mendonça, 2004). Cette étude a pour objet d’évaluer les niveaux de vulnérabilité socio-environnementale dans la région des basses-terres de Jacarepaguá à Rio de Janeiro. Ce faisant, nous abordons les points forts et les limites des pouvoirs publics dont le rôle est de concilier les intérêts privés et publics en matière de justice environnementale.

Mots-clés :

• justice environnementale,
• vulnérabilité socio-environnementale,
• indicateurs socio-environnementaux

Notes

• [3] In this paper, we refer to “neighborhood” as bairro in Brazilian cities. A bairro represents the smallest planning unit defined by the municipal administrations and is also one of the census tracts used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
• [4] The 2000 Brazilian Census estimated population density in Copacabana to be six times higher than in Rio de Janeiro, respectively 333.6 inhab./sq km and 58.6 inhab./sq km (IPP, 2001c).
• [5] Jacarepaguá Lowlands are divided into three administrative zones: Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá and Cidade de Deus.
• [6] Decree nº 6.000/1937 created the Residential Zone 3. The Agache Plan (1931), the first urban planning scheme after the infrastructure plans of Mayor Pereira Passos (1902-1905), proposed to build a link from the center of the city to Sepetiba and Santa Cruz passing through the Jacarepaguá Lowlands (Costa, 1969).
• [7] P.A. nº 5596 established a building facade plan (Plano de Alinhamento), according to the road system plan conceived by the Road System Department (DER, Departamento de Estradas e Rodagem).
• [8] In 1974, the group was transformed into the Superintendence of Development of Barra da Tijuca (SUDEBAR, Superintendência de Desenvolvimento da Barra de Tijuca). Between 1974 and 1979, SUDEBAR was in charge of urban development in Barra da Tijuca.
• [9] The new center of Santa Cruz was included in the Doxiadis Plan of 1963 (Abreu, 1988).
• [10] In accordance with the specific urban regulation for Special Zone 5 (ZE-5, Zona Especial), the Region of Barra da Tijuca was divided into 46 sub-zones, from A-1 to A-46 (Silva, 2004).
• [11] In 1963, Governor Carlos Lacerda approved the Doxiadis Plan to urbanize the State of Guanabara, which was a former Brazilian state that existed between 1960 and 1975. The City of Rio de Janeiro is located in this territory (Abreu, 1988).
• [12] The City of Rio de Janeiro is divided into five major planning areas called Áreas de Planejamento (AP), which in turn are divided into 33 administrative regions called Regiões Administrativas (RA). Jacarepaguá Lowlands are part of the municipal planning area 4 (AP-4), which is divided into three administrative regions: Barra da Tijuca (XXIV RA), Jacarepaguá (XVI RA), and Cidade de Deus (XXXIV RA). Each region is then divided into neighborhoods.
• [13] The Municipal Human Development Index (IDH is a composite of the sum of the means of three indexes: Longevity Index (IDH-L), Education Index (IDH-E), and Income Index (IDH-R) (IPP, 2001b).
• [14] In 1984, the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI, Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito) of the City Council (Câmara dos Vereadores) received many accusations during the mayoral terms of Marcos Tamoio (1975-1979) (Silva, 2004).
• [15] Decree nº 3046/81 regulated Zona Especial 5 (ZE-5, Especial Zone 5) and its neighborhoods.
• [16] According to Kasahara (2002), 40% of Rio das Pedras residents work as gardeners, sale representatives and servants.
• [17] Among public investments, we highlight the construction of a modern road network mainly between 1966 and 1982, which improved access to the region and increased investment in large scale residential condominium projects. For example: the road pavement in Alvorada Avenue (Ayrton Senna Avenue), the implementation of Rio-Santos Road (Américas Avenue) and Lagoa-Barra Highway, and the opening of the Dois Irmãos Tunnel (Leitão, 1995). In addition, from 1980 to 1983, the state government financed some urban services, such as water, electricity and gas (Leitão, 1995; Gonçalves, 1999).
• [18] The sewerage collection and transport system in the Jacarepaguá Lowlands consists mainly of a network of underground sewers pipes and pumping stations that carry sewage first to a treatment plant and then to underwater facilities that discharge sewage effluents directly into the sea.
• [19] Until 6^th June 2009, the state government invested in the PSBJ R$ 464,809,022.30 and will invest another R$ 107,762,484.94 (Respectively CAN$ 267,280,623.28 and CAN$ 61,967,007.44, according to the Brazilian Central Bank in June 16^th, 2009).
• [20] In Table 6, “I” refers to income, “E” refers to education, “S” refers to sewerage, “W” refers to water, “G” refers to garbage, and “MS” refers to the Brazilian minimum monthly wage, which is R$ 465 (or CAN$ 270.96 according to the Brazilian Central Bank as of June 16^th, 2009).
• [21] The neighborhoods included in the urbanization process of the Jacarepaguá Lowland region in the 1970’s, based on the urban plan of Lucio Costa, are the following: Joá, Itanhangá, Barra da Tijuca, Camorim, Vargem Pequena, Vargem Grande, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, and Grumari. The other areas were urbanized before that period and serviced by a public sewer system, resulting in low environmental vulnerability for sewage services.
• [22] A watershed is a topographic area, drained by a water body, commonly a main river, or a system connected to water bodies, usually its tributaries (Lima-e-SILVA, 1999; Polette, 2000; Brun and Lasserre, 2006). In Brazil, the Federal Law 9.433 (1997) is the political and legal impetus for developing land-use planning and management policies and practices on a watershed basis, leading to the establishment of the National Water Resources Plan (PNRH) and the National Water Resources Management System.