REDEFINING PRIORITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative highlights a critical gap in the Brazilian Amazon, specifically in the state of Pará, where infrastructure planning prioritizes large-scale logistics projects (roads, railroads, ports) over basic local services. Using high-resolution data, the study finds extreme deficiencies in sanitation—with 69% of households disposing of sewage improperly—and significant inequalities in access to health care, education, and 4G connectivity, particularly in rural areas and the surroundings of large projects like BR-230. The authors recommend utilizing compensation payments from large-scale projects to fund essential local infrastructure.

• Infrastructure planning in the Brazilian Amazon typically prioritizes large-scale projects like hydropower plants, roads, and ports, while neglecting essential local infrastructure such as health care, education, sanitation, and information technology. The authors argue that shifting focus toward infrastructure that serves the local population is essential for sustainable development.
• Sanitation services in the state of Pará are extremely poor and characterized by significant spatial inequality. Approximately 69% of households dispose of sewage improperly, with 48% using rudimentary tanks and 21% dumping directly into waterways. Only 10% of the state's households are connected to a sewage network. Additionally, 52% of households lack connection to the water network, a rate more than three times the national average for Brazil.
• Access to basic services—including 4G internet, health care, and education—is highly unequal across Pará, with services concentrated in densely populated urban centers. Approximately 16.9% of the population (1.36 million people) lives 10 km or more from a 4G antenna, 21% (1.7 million people) live more than 10 km from high schools, and 14% (1.13 million people) live more than 10 km from health centers.
• Populations living within the areas of influence of large federal infrastructure projects—such as the Ferrogrão railroad and the paving of BR-230, BR-163, and BR-155/58—experience worse access to local infrastructure than the state average. This is most acute around BR-230, where over 90% of the population lacks adequate sewage collection and more than 50% live more than 10 km from health centers, high schools, and 4G antennas.
• The report suggests that because local infrastructure is unlikely to attract private capital, governments should use compensation payments from large-scale projects to fund basic services for the local population to overcome fiscal constraints.

APA

BRAGANÇA, A., & MORAIS, M. (2022). REDEFINING PRIORITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/INS-Local-Infra-EN.pdf

Chicago

BRAGANÇA, ARTHUR, and MATEUS MORAIS. REDEFINING PRIORITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON. Climate Policy Initiative, 2022. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/INS-Local-Infra-EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BRAGANÇA |first1=ARTHUR |last2=MORAIS |first2=MATEUS |title=REDEFINING PRIORITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/INS-Local-Infra-EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bragana2022redefining, author = {BRAGANÇA, ARTHUR and MORAIS, MATEUS}, title = {{REDEFINING PRIORITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/INS-Local-Infra-EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }