Does Trust Lead to the Adoption of a Productive Climate Attitude? Relationship Between Trust, Corruption, and Climate Attitude in Developing Regions.

This study examines the relationship between institutional trust from an individual and societal perspective and perceived corruption and climate attitudes of individuals in Latin America. To this end, multilevel modeling was used to test whether the attitudes of individuals from 285 regions of Latin America are influenced by these constructs. Based on the results, it was found that in contrast to studies in developed countries, where institutional trust is positively associated with pro-climate attitudes, in Latin America institutional trust acts as an inhibiting factor and is inversely related to climate attitudes. Furthermore, the perception of corruption in public institutions was also identified as a factor inhibiting collective action to combat climate change. Moderation analysis revealed that individuals' level of education significantly influences this relationship, with a notable difference in climate attitudes between individuals with low and high levels of trust, especially among those with less education. These findings highlight the importance of taking regional specificities into account when examining the relationship between institutional trust, perceptions of corruption, and climate attitudes, and underscore the need for public policies that promote transparency and accountability of institutions to foster effective collective action on climate change.

Perception of health risks in contexts of extreme climate change in semiarid Northeastern Brazil: an analysis of the role of socioeconomic variables.

BACKGROUND: Global climate change poses a significant challenge in contemporary society, particularly affecting vulnerable populations like small farmers residing in arid and semiarid regions. This study aims to investigate the perception of health risks and adaptive responses in the semiarid region of Northeast Brazil (NEB). Four questions were formulated: (1) How do socioeconomic factors influence the perception of health risks during extreme climate events? (2) How do socioeconomic factors impact the adoption of adaptive responses to mitigate health risks during extreme weather events? (3) How does the perceived risk level affect the utilization of adaptive responses? (4) What is the influence of extreme climate events on the perceived risks and the adoption of adaptive responses? METHOD: The research was conducted in the rural community of Carão, situated in the Agreste region of the State of Pernambuco, NEB. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 volunteers aged 18 and above. The interviews aimed to gather socioeconomic information, including sex, age, income, access to healthcare services, family size, and education level. Additionally, the interviews explored the perceived risks and responses employed during different extreme climate events such as droughts or heavy rainfall. The perceived risks and adaptive responses data were quantified to address the research questions. Generalized linear models were employed to analyze the data for the first three questions, while the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used for the fourth question. RESULTS: The study found no significant differences in the level of perceived risk and adaptive responses between the two climate extremes. However, the quantity of adaptive responses was found to be directly influenced by the perceived risks, regardless of the type of extreme climate event. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that risk perception is influenced by various complex factors, including socioeconomic variables, and plays a critical role in the adoption of adaptive responses during extreme climate events. The findings suggest that specific socioeconomic variables have a more pronounced influence on how individuals perceive and adapt to risks. Furthermore, the results indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between perceived risks and the generation of adaptive responses. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors shaping risk perception and provide valuable insights for future studies in regions prone to extreme climate events.

Ecosystem carbon losses following a climate-induced mangrove mortality in Brazil.

Drought events may induce mangrove mortality and dieback events worldwide as a result of climate extremes. As mangroves sequester large quantities of carbon, quantifying the losses of these stocks following climate disturbances may guide wetland governance strategies globally. In Southeast Brazil, we determined the total ecosystem carbon stocks (TECS) of pristine mangroves that were up to 1851 Mg of carbon per hectare (Mg C ha-1), which are the highest stocks measured from South American and raising estimates of Brazil's mangrove TECS to 0.52 Pg C. A mangrove mortality event in the same estuary resulted in a 14.6 % decrease in TECS (270.5 Mg C ha-1) and loss of 20 % of mangrove soil carbon within less than 2-years. Carbon dioxide emissions from this impact were 992.8 Mg CO2e ha-1, which are slightly lower than emissions from land use disturbances on mangroves worldwide. Our results suggest that climate effects on mangroves can become significant sources of greenhouse gases globally.

Surtos de diarreia na região Nordeste do Brasil em 2013, segundo a mídia e sistemas de informação de saúde – Vigilância de situações climáticas de risco e emergências em saúde / Diarrhea outbreaks in northeastern Brazil in 2013, according to media and health information systems – Surveillance of climate risk and health emergencies

Resumo Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as informações sobre surtos de diarreia no Nordeste do Brasil ocorridos no ano de 2013, veiculadas pela mídia eletrônica e pelos dados obtidos por sistemas de informação de saúde. Foram identificadas 33 notícias com cunho informativo sobre os surtos, algumas contendo menções sobre as causas e os fatores agravantes dos surtos de diarreia. A análise da distribuição espacial e temporal de notícias, internações e óbitos revelou que mais de 100 mil pessoas foram acometidas e, de acordo com as notícias analisadas, os estados mais atingidos foram Alagoas e Pernambuco, com maior extensão nos meses de maio a julho. O uso de fontes alternativas de água, como cacimbas, poços, caminhões-pipa e reservatórios domésticos foram apontados como as causas mais imediatas destes surtos. No entanto, outros fatores subjacentes como a precariedade estrutural dos sistemas de abastecimento de água na região do semiárido, as condições excepcionais de seca, considerada a pior dos últimos 60 anos, bem como a capacidade do setor saúde para atender um grande volume de casos, devem ser considerados para recuperar o contexto em que estes surtos são produzidos.

Abstract This study has the objective of analyzing information about diarrhea outbreaks in Brazil’s northeast in the year 2013. Information came from electronic media and from health information systems. A total of 33 news events related to diarrhea outbreaks were identified, some of them mentioning causes and aggravating factors. The analysis of spatial and temporal distribution of the news, admissions and deaths showed that more than 100,000 persons were affected and, according to the news analyzed, the most affected states were Alagoas and Pernambuco, with a greater extent in the months from May to July. The use of alternative sources of water such as ponds, wells, water trucks and household water reservoirs were identified as the most immediate causes of these outbreaks. However, other underlying factors such as precarious water supply systems in the semi-arid region, the exceptional conditions of drought, considered the worst in the last 60 years, as well as the capacity of the health sector to respond to a large number of cases, should be considered to recover the context in which these outbreaks are produced.