More Data Better Health: Climate and Health in the Legal Amazon

Leia em português.

More Data Better Health – Climate and Health in the Legal Amazon is a survey that presents data on the perception and impacts of climate change on the daily lives of people from the nine states of the Legal Amazon and that consulted 4,037 people between May and July 2025.

The results show that a third of the population (32%) says they have already been directly affected by climate change. This percentage reaches 42.2% among traditional peoples and communities, such as indigenous peoples, quilombolas, ribeirinhos and extractivists, among others. These groups also reported greater experience with issues related to worsening water quality and to food production, providing evidence of their vulnerability in areas of climate risk and dependence on natural resources for subsistence.

The consequences of global warming perceived include increased electricity bills (83.4%), rising average temperatures (82.4%), increased air pollution (75%), increased occurrence of environmental disasters (74.4%), and increased food prices (73%). Specific climate events reported in the past two years include heatwaves (64.7%), persistent droughts (29.6%), forest fires with intense smoke (29.2%), deforestation (28.7%) and worsening air quality (26.7%).

The survey confirms that the perception of the climate crisis is widespread: 90.6% believe we are already experiencing global warming, and 88.4% recognize that climate change has been occurring in Brazil and in the world in the last two years. Almost 40% said they knew someone directly affected by the phenomenon, a figure that rises to 48.4% among traditional peoples and communities.

The research also revealed relevant behavioral changes. More than half the residents (53.3%) reduced practices they believe contributed to worsening the crisis, and 38.4% reported feeling guilty for wasting energy. Separation of garbage for recycling is a common practice for 64% of the population, rising to 70.1% among traditional peoples and communities. These groups also showed greater belief in the possibility of acting against the effects of the crisis: 55.7% said they believed they could help solve the problem, compared to 39.8% of the region’s general population.

In summary, the findings reaffirm the urgency of integrated policies that connect health, climate and equity, and offer subsidies to guide public policies and strengthen the resilience of Amazonian populations in the face of the climate crisis.