Ensaios sobre meio ambiente e saúde

Abstract

The fragile relationship between the environment and human health has become increasingly evident, raising growing concern at a global level. In this context, this thesis aims to analyze the effects of climate factors, the environment, environmental changes, and ecological problems on the well-being of the population. The first essay investigates the impacts of air pollution in port regions (Santos and Vitória) on the respiratory health of vulnerable groups living near these port cities. Seaports are potential air polluters, and understanding this relationship is important to develop more sustainable and less polluting port projects, as well as cleaner maritime transport. The empirical strategy explores the exogeneity of wind speed as an instrument of pollution (PM10). The results indicate that port activity has positive effects on PM10 concentrations and that increased air pollution increases hospitalizations, especially of babies and the elderly. The second essay seeks to explore the externalities of forest-based climate mitigation on the health of the legal Amazon population through a conservation policy. Deforestation is usually accompanied by the burning of biomes, resulting in pollutants that can pose risks to human health and the environment. The conservation policy analyzed here has led to a reduction in the level of deforestation. These sharp reductions in deforestation in the legal Amazon, as well as its spatial heterogeneity, are used for the identification strategy. The main results indicate that the reduction in deforestation led to a decrease in the rate of hospitalizations due to respiratory and circulatory diseases in the elderly, as well as in CO2 levels. In addition, forest conservation contributes to the reduction of fire outbreaks. These findings show the importance of forest conservation for human health and the environment. Finally, the third essay examines the effects of climate shocks—specifically droughts and dry spells—on the nutritional status of children living in socioeconomically vulnerable settings. Climate-related adversities can affect nutrient intake, potentially leading to child malnutrition, impairing healthy development, and generating long-term social costs. The empirical strategy relies on a fixed-effects estimator. The results indicate that droughts and dry spells have negative effects on children’s nutritional status. Moreover, these effects vary according to the level of municipal development, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). Together, the three essays contribute to the understanding of health problems arising from environmentally related factors and highlight the importance of actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural resources that benefit nature and individuals.