Matthew Soska

Having been friends with a lot of people from Brazil (I have done Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for years) I could hardly believe that Brazil’s Ecological Footprint was so low. All my life I have heard how this beautiful and abundant country has been abused by big corporations and global superpowers. After some further research, I found that because of years of strong environmental policy and Brazil’s willingness to work with the Global Footprint network, they have been able to keep their footprint low and biocapacity stable. 

In the early 60s, Brazil’s ecological footprint was roughly 178,700,00 (Global Footprint Network). Despite years of industrialization and growing multinational corporations, in 2017 they clocked in at a low 588,103,141(Global Footprint Network). Even more impressive is that they were able to grow their biocapacity (even if modestly)(Global Footprint Network). The only concerning trend is that their ecological footprint is growing at a quicker rate than their biocapacity(Global Footprint Network). 

Brazil’s success isn’t as shocking when you look at their history of fighting for strong environmental policy. In the late 70s and early 80s, after concerns about deforestation became salient amongst Brazil’s intelligentsia, country leadership decided to incorporate promises to the environment in their new constitution. This includes, but is not limited to: building powerful environmental agencies, designating untouchable national parks/reserves, and committing to attend the Earth Summit (Brazil:A Country Study). 

One can see the effects of these policies by looking at the graphic. The sharpest increase in biocapacity was from 1970 to 1980; when these laws were being implemented(Global Footprint Network). Even after that rapid growth, biocapacity grew steady for the next eight years (Global Footprint Network). However, an important thing to note is that the ecological footprint kept and still keeps growing. Although they were able to protect their environment, they couldn’t slow down the agriculture industry and industrialization. 

Brazil’s recognition of the problem, and their ability to deal with it in a scientific manner should be used as a model for the world. Although they still struggle, when the North Pole melts, we definitely can’t point the finger at Brazil. 

Sources 

Country Trends, Brazil. Open Data Platform. Retrieved from https://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=21&type=BCtot,EFCtot

Hudson, A., Rex(1997).Brazil: A Country Study. Retrieved from http://countrystudies.us/brazil/