Inequities and Challenges for a Metropolitan Region to Improve Climate Resilience

Abstract

Metropolitan areas require a large flow of environmental services in order to maintain their structures and their population especially considering the challenges associated with climate change. The aim of this chapter is to study inequities among municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo—MRSP related to Human Development Index—HDI and the provision and demand for water as an environmental service. Indeed, the growth of metropolitan areas implies pressures for the production of wealth and supply for the population needs resulting in environmental and social pressures as well. This study was conducted by using secondary indicators provided by Brazilian public institutions. In terms of water supply there is a complex and unfair relationship between the municipalities considering their role as providers or receivers of environmental services and so significant inequalities can be observed in the metropolitan area, according to the historic process of urban despoliation characteristic of a developing country. There is a clear distinction between municipalities that have a greater demand for water and those that produce it, since these latter often present worse HDI. In conclusion the diversity of a metropolitan region can be considered necessary in terms of municipalities with different roles. Otherwise, the inequities in the municipalities’ providers of environmental services reveal a context of vulnerability, and such asymmetrical scenario must be considered in order to increase the metropolitan resilience towards uncertain climate change scenarios.