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Environmental Challenges in Southern Brazil: Impacts of Pollution and Extreme Weather Events on Biodiversity and Human Health

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  • Joel Henrique Ellwanger

    (Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Postgraduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (PPGBM), Department of Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Marina Ziliotto

    (Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Postgraduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (PPGBM), Department of Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Bruna Kulmann-Leal

    (Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Postgraduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (PPGBM), Department of Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

  • José Artur Bogo Chies

    (Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Postgraduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (PPGBM), Department of Genetics, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

Abstract

The Amazon rainforest plays a fundamental role in regulating the global climate and therefore receives special attention when Brazilian environmental issues gain prominence on the global stage. However, other Brazilian biomes, such as the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil, have been facing significant environmental challenges, either independently or under the influence of ecological changes observed in the Amazon region. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is located in the extreme south of Brazil and in 2024 was hit by major rainfalls that caused devastating floods. The Pampa is a non-forest biome found in Brazil only in Rio Grande do Sul. This biome is seriously threatened by loss of vegetation cover and many classes of pollutants, including pesticides and plastics. Mining ventures are also important sources of soil, water and air pollution by potentially toxic elements in Rio Grande do Sul, threatening both the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest. Furthermore, southern Brazil is often affected by pollution caused by smoke coming from fires observed in distant biomes such as the Pantanal and the Amazon. Considering the significant environmental challenges observed in southern Brazil, this article revisits the historical participation of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazilian environmentalism and highlights the main environmental challenges currently observed in the state, followed by an in-depth analysis of the effects of pollution and extreme weather events on biodiversity and human health in the region. This review encompassed specifically the following categories of pollutants: potentially toxic elements (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, titanium), air pollutants, plastics, and pesticides. Pathogen-related pollution in the context of extreme weather events is also addressed. This article emphasizes the critical importance of often-overlooked biomes in Brazilian conservation efforts, such as the Pampa biome, while also underscoring the interconnectedness of climate change, pollution, their shared influence on human well-being and ecological balance, using Rio Grande do Sul as a case study.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel Henrique Ellwanger & Marina Ziliotto & Bruna Kulmann-Leal & José Artur Bogo Chies, 2025. "Environmental Challenges in Southern Brazil: Impacts of Pollution and Extreme Weather Events on Biodiversity and Human Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-35, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:2:p:305-:d:1593839
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sarath K. Guttikunda, 2024. "Northern India and Pakistan are yet again engulfed in a haze of pollution — but a lasting solution is possible," Nature, Nature, vol. 636(8043), pages 569-570, December.
    2. Marina Ziliotto & José Artur Bogo Chies & Joel Henrique Ellwanger, 2024. "Environmental Sanitation in Porto Alegre City, Brazil: A Basic Step towards Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Cheryl Qian Ying Yong & Suresh Valiyaveettil & Bor Luen Tang, 2020. "Toxicity of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Mammalian Systems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-24, February.
    4. Mariana Lenharo, 2024. "How to recover when a climate disaster destroys your city," Nature, Nature, vol. 634(8036), pages 1032-1036, October.
    5. Alan Da Silveira Fleck & Mariana Vieira & Sergio Luís Amantéa & Claudia Ramos Rhoden, 2014. "A Comparison of the Human Buccal Cell Assay and the Pollen Abortion Assay in Assessing Genotoxicity in an Urban-Rural Gradient," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-14, August.
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