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    Brazil might be the leading economy in Latin America and has had a significant performance in reducing poverty in recent years, but it still remains among the countries with the highest inequality in the region together with Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia, points out the UN-Habitat report. In all four countries based on 2009 data, the Gini income per capita distribution index stood at 0.56, to which must be added Dominican Republic and Bolivia, two inequality champions with high concentration of wealth. This compares with the US and Portugal Gini indicator of 0.38, two countries that offer no relief since Portugal, for example, has the highest inequality index of the European Union.

     Nevertheless, Brazil advanced compared to 1990 when it had the highest degree of inequality and stood well ahead from the rest of the continent. But the region continues to have the highest inequality rate in spite of advances in helping income distribution. Among some of the causes for distribution improvement are productivity, upward trend of salaries and workers categories, strong economy and implementation of income transfer programs in several countries, particularly in the two leading economies, Brazil and Mexico. In the case of Brazil, the country’s economy now figures sixth at global level.

    Former president Lula da Silva and one of the most popular leaders in history of that country based his success precisely on the Bolsa Família Plan, which distributed a monthly basic food basket to millions, helping anywhere from 14 to 22 million climb out of poverty, plus ensuring his Workers Party an encouraging future.

    The Gini coefficient or index measures the inequality among values of a frequency distribution (for instance, levels of income). A Gini coefficient of zero expresses perfect equality where all values are the same (for instance, where everyone has an exactly equal income). A Gini coefficient of one (100 on the percentile scale) expresses maximal inequality among values (for instance, where only one person has all the income).

Earth on its way to the ICU

    There’s no way to deny it anymore. It has been proven through a report from the UN (United Nations) that, yes, it was man who made the Earth sick. And even if now the world, diagnosed, decides to reduce the damage that our presence here causes (which is not very likely) and decides to promote an extreme change in the economical structures, the Earth, still at that, will have its fever raised in 1.1◦C this century. Is that bad? But it is still bearable. Now if nothing is done, the world must prepare for a new class of refugees: the climatic. A heating of up to 6◦C would be forecasted. To have an idea, the Earth was only 5◦C colder in the Ice Age, which put an end to the Dinosaur Age. If the “dinos” couldn’t handle the shock, who’d think the humans would. Humans?

     It is most probable, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes, that the Earth will be warmed 3◦C, which will cause phenomena such as thawing, hurricanes, droughts and tempests. The sea level, according to the report, may rise between 18 and 59 centimeters, making cities below sea level disappear.

     In Brazil, the greatest impact would be on the Northeast, which could become a semi-desert. The Amazon would suffer due to lack of rain, affecting the entire rainforest, losing biodiversity. On the other hand, the intensity of the rain would impact the South-east. To the UN, The world must do the impossible to stagnate the intensity of the fever, so that the temperature increase does not exceed 2◦C. The warning has been given.

Autora: Sonia Racy

Artigo extraído da Revista, TAM magazine, Ano 4, Número 37, Março 2007.