The Limits of Livability

The document examines the health consequences of biomass burning in the Brazilian Amazon, highlighting the vulnerability of children, the elderly, and Indigenous populations. It notes that air quality standards in Brazil are less stringent than WHO guidelines and that monitoring systems have not been widely implemented. The brief links these fires to land clearing for agriculture and ranching, which contributes to climate change. It recommends a moratorium on deforestation, improved public health advisories, and international cooperation to meet Paris Agreement goals.

• Forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon are primarily man-made, caused by land clearing for ranching and intensive agriculture, which damages a globally significant carbon sink and contributes to climate change.
• Brazil's air quality standards for PM10 are less strict than those of the World Health Organization (WHO), with a daily average guideline of 60 µg/m3 compared to the WHO's 50 µg/m3; furthermore, Brazil does not set limits for PM2.5.
• Smoke from Amazon forest fires is associated with severe health outcomes, including low birth weight, increased hospital admissions, and higher risks of respiratory disease for children and the elderly.
• Indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon face heightened vulnerability to smoke pollution due to a higher prevalence of preventable respiratory diseases like tuberculosis and a lack of protective housing.
• A 2020 study by the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) found that forest fires led to a 25% average increase in hospitalizations for Indigenous people over 50 due to respiratory issues, and suggested that this pollution increases vulnerability to COVID-19.
• Access to healthcare in the Amazon is severely limited by geography, with some states requiring travel distances exceeding 400 km for complex care, compared to a national average of 155 km.

APA

MacGuire, F., & Sergeeva, M. (2021). The Limits of Livability. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/limits_liability_country-report_bushfires-brazil_EN_final.pdf

Chicago

MacGuire, Frances, and Milena Sergeeva. The Limits of Livability. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2021. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/limits_liability_country-report_bushfires-brazil_EN_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MacGuire |first1=Frances |last2=Sergeeva |first2=Milena |title=The Limits of Livability |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=2021 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/limits_liability_country-report_bushfires-brazil_EN_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{macguire2021limits, author = {MacGuire, Frances and Sergeeva, Milena}, title = {{The Limits of Livability}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2021}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/limits_liability_country-report_bushfires-brazil_EN_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }