Planetary Pressures-Adjusted Human Development Index in the States of Brazil

Caio Gonçalves, João Pinheiro Foundation
Luiz Pataca, Fundação João Pinheiro
Priscilla Costa, Fundação João Pinheiro
Igor Souza, Fundação João Pinheiro

The article explores the need to reassess human development in light of the Anthropocene, a period marked by significant human influence on the planet. The context of the Covid-19 pandemic serves as a reminder of the connection between environmental exploitation and the emergence of zoonotic pandemics, while also highlighting the global inequalities exacerbated by universal crises. In this sense, the article utilizes the Planetary Pressures-Adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI), a metric that seeks to harmonize human development with a lower ecological footprint, incorporating indicators such as per capita carbon dioxide emissions and per capita material footprint. Using the Brazilian context, the study presents an adaptation of the PHDI for the Brazilian states, based on the States Human Development Index and emissions data. The results indicate that when adjusting the MHDI for planetary pressures, states such as Piauí, Amapá, Alagoas, and Maranhão show improvements in their rankings, while regions like the North and the state of Mato Grosso experience significant declines due to local environmental pressures. The study advocates for the evolution of human development metrics to reflect planetary tensions, aligning human progress with environmental sustainability. It emphasizes the need for further investigation into measuring the material footprint in the country.

Keywords: Data and Methods, Population, Environment, and Climate Change

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