Challenges and perspectives in applying the environmental sensitivity index to pipelines: a review on the prevention and management of oil spills disasters.

The oil spill environmental sensitivity index is a key tool for preventing and dealing with environmental disasters caused by oil spills. This study aims to review the available literature on the subject and highlight the importance of methodological advances to improve how the index is applied in continental areas, especially in regions crossed by pipelines. Most current mapping techniques focus on coastal areas and fail to consider the stretches of land that are vulnerable to geodynamic natural disasters. In this context, the need to implement environmental sensitivity indices specific for pipelines has become urgent. This study also presents an overview of the main accidents around the world and a detailed analysis of the history of Brazilian disasters related to oil spills along continental stretches, with a focus on pipelines and natural disasters. In addition, this work highlights the importance of carrying out new research in mountainous areas of Brazil and is aimed at preventing Natechs (natural hazard triggering technological disasters) and improving contingency plans. As a result, several pathways have been identified, which involves the necessity of resolving gaps in terrestrial environmental sensitivity mapping methodologies, particularly as applied to pipelines. Furthermore, solutions must be capable of integrating terrestrial, fluvial, coastal, and maritime environmental sensitivity mapping techniques. Moreover, the need to implement dynamic risk monitoring systems in real time is critical to help manage such a complex problem.

The consequences of debris flows in Brazil: a historical analysis based on recorded events in the last 100 years.

This study aims at providing an overview of the socioeconomic consequences that debris-flow events have caused in Brazil, positioning the country in the international scenario and identifying areas where targeted actions are necessary. The analysis is conducted by calculating the debris-flow mortality rate (MR) and by using the so-called F-N plots (frequency of events that have caused N or more fatalities vs. the number of fatalities), based on a compilation of debris-flow-related disasters from 1920 to 2021. In total, 45 debris-flow events were documented in the considered period, responsible for 5771 fatalities and more than 5.5 billion USD in economic losses. The Serra do Mar Mountain Range is the main site of reported debris-flow occurrences (64.5%), followed by Serra da Mantiqueira (13.3%), and Serra Geral (13.3%). Southeast Brazil (SEB) is the region most affected by debris-flow events, due to the highest population density and the development of several cities in hilly areas, such as Petrópolis (Rio de Janeiro state) and Cubatão (São Paulo state). The debris-flow MR of SEB is higher than any other region in Brazil, pushing the national debris-flow MR upwards, and the F-N curve of SEB consolidates the region as the one with the highest risk to the phenomenon, indicating a higher probability of fatal events. The F-N plots further show that debris-flow events in Brazil represent a higher societal risk than in countries such as China, Japan and Italy. While there are differences in country size and the scale effect should be considered, these results highlight the urgent need for investments in disaster prevention and preparedness programs. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10346-022-01984-7.

Evolution of public policies on natural disasters in brazil and worldwide.

This work aims to carry out an analysis of the evolution of the civil defense protection policy in Brazil, as well as to present an overview of research related to public policies on natural disasters in the world. The research was developed by documentary analysis of Brazilian policies on the protection of civil defense and bibliometric analysis of the global data. The evolution of public policy on natural disasters in Brazil was divided into four different moments: a) military civil defense (1942-1946), b) disaster assistance policy (1967-1988), c) Civil Defense system in construction (1988-2005), and d) consolidation of the civil defense system (2005- to the present). The structuring of public policy reflected in 4 different stages in relation to the recording of information about disasters. Bibliometric analysis showed that the first works related to public civil defense policies in the world appeared only in 1980, and are mainly concentrated in the United States, which accounts for 42.56% of the works, while Brazil is the 6th country with 3.76% of global searches. Thus, it is possible to conclude that public policies and databases have a recent evolution both in Brazil and in the world, especially in developing countries.