Environmental degradation in Rio Grande do Sul: an analysis of cities and mesoregions

Abstract

The aim of this work is to analyze the degradation parameter in cities and mesoregions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul from the foundation of a Degradation Index. Thus, we studied 29 variables in 496 cities in 2006. The average of environmental degradation in the cities is of 62.95%, which is of great representativeness and demonstrates that more than half of the state faces problems related to environmental degradation. Regarding cities, we found that many of them have 100% according to the Degradation Index. These cities and their mesoregions have a direct link with the agricultural activity which confirms the involvement of this activity in the aggravation of this phenomenon. Moreover, most degraded regions of the state are part of the less developed mesoregions, confirming the prediction that environmental degradation is directly related to the socio-economic development.