In a world experiencing severe climate change, just over six in ten residents (64.6%) of slums and urban communities live on the streets without any trees. Outside these areas, the proportion of the population suffering from this condition is much lower, at 31%. There are 10.8 million slum dwellers on treeless roads.
If the average numbers already show an alarming situation, detailed data for every slum in the country shows even greater inequality in afforestation. More than 50% of the slums had less than 50% of their residents living on tree-lined roads. Based on the approved standards, the tree classification takes into account the presence of at least one tree on the street.
The study contains information on inequality in the region with regard to afforestation “Slums and Urban Communities: Urban Characteristics Surrounding Homes: Findings from the Universe”.
The survey was conducted based on the 2022 Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This is the first time that IBGE has researched the urban characteristics surrounding slums and urban communities in the country.
“Afforestation is an important variable. Because of global warming, afforestation is linked to thermal comfort. The percentage in slums is very low: 64.6% of slum residents live in areas without trees,” said Analyst in the Slums and Urban Communities Team at IBGE and Co-Chair of the UN Group of Experts on Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information.
Of the 20 most populous slums, Río das Piedras, in Rio de Janeiro, is the city with the lowest rate of afforestation, with only 3.5% of its residents owning at least one tree. At the other extreme, Sol Nacente, located in Brasilia, 70.7% of the population lives on tree-lined streets.
Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are the states where the disparity between the presence of trees inside and outside the favelas is greatest. In these places, the rate of afforestation outside the slums is at least twice as high as that within these urban communities.
In Rio de Janeiro, only 28.4% of residents living in favelas live on streets where there is at least one tree. In contrast, the percentage outside these areas is 67.7%. The difference is 39.3 percentage points.
In São Paulo, 32.8% of slum residents live on streets with some trees, less than half the 74.7% of the population outside these areas. The distance is 41.9 percentage points.