Espacialização de indicadores socioambientais e metodologia de classificação da vulnerabilidade socioambiental aplicada a cidade do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The emergency presented by climate change poses new and serious challenges for cities, which need to develop strategic policies to reduce climate impacts and improve adaptation to these events. Understanding the vulnerabilities of the territory, as well as its susceptibilities and potential risks, in addition to identifying trends in climate change, is of utmost importance to avoid potential damages and minimize the impact of extreme events in cities, as these are characterized by interactions between a number of subsystems, such as the built environment, infrastructure, social systems, natural systems, and production systems, among others. The city of Rio de Janeiro, as the second largest metropolis in Brazil, faces significant challenges related to land use management and reducing the vulnerability of the population to extreme climate events, since, due to the city's geomorphology, part of the population resides in areas susceptible to landslides or prone to flooding. This study sought to demonstrate how the spatialization of indicators and indices, which make up socio-environmental vulnerability, is crucial for making assertive decisions in the city's territory. The methodology proposed in the research consists of 4 phases: Phase 1 is the identification and analysis of extreme events that have occurred in the city; Phase 2 is the identification of the indicators that make up the Sensitivity, Exposure, and Adaptive Capacity indices; Phase 3 involves a consultation and application of a questionnaire to a panel of experts; and Phase 4 is the multicriteria analysis of the indicators and indices of socio-environmental vulnerability. The results presented data on the intensification of extreme events in the city in recent decades and the mapping of socio-environmental vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro, showing that a large part of the city is in a medium vulnerability stage, while some areas in the West Zone and certain isolated points in the city are in high or very high socio-environmental vulnerability stages.