Escassez de recursos naturais e defesa na América do Sul : impactos potenciais da escassez hídrica na soberania do Brasil

Abstract

Among the natural resources existing in the Brazilian territory, water has gained relevance, since water is considered an input of first necessity to living beings. Based on data from 2000, the surface water resources generated in Brazil represent 50% of the total water in South America and 11% of the world total. However, water is not evenly distributed and its availability has been reducing to worrying levels and what is perceived, in this context, is fierce competition for this resource. To obtain it, States decide their methods, peaceful or not. Thus, the condition of having considerable reserves of water resources gives Brazil a prominent position in the international system and the question that arises is how long the solution of the binomial “availability x need” for water will be completely peaceful. Furthermore, if the States, realizing the importance of protecting their water resources against external threats, outline policies and strategies with specific actions to defend these resources, in order to guarantee the sovereignty of their territories. In view of the above, and considering the geographic profile of South America, as it is an important part of the Brazilian Strategic Environment, the objective of this research is to verify if, and how, the South American States address water resources in their high-level defense documents, trying to identify possible threats to Brazilian resources and sovereignty. Regarding the approach, the methodology used in the research will be qualitative, with the inductive method and bibliographic and documentary techniques, with information collected mainly in publications of the United Nations and International Organizations, in addition to documents from the official organs of the States themselves and scientific articles. After the analyzes, it was possible to realize that the great water potential of the subcontinent is Brazilian and that it is not possible to affirm that there will be no increase in external pressure on the country's water resources, especially because Brazil's high-level defense documents, as well as of the other South American states analyzed, they are incipient and do not categorically address their water resources, suggesting that, in the event of the need to use force, the real military power of each actor in the conflict should prevail. Furthermore, even if well-established instruments of regional cooperation exist, the possibility of threats to water resources and Brazilian sovereignty, originating in neighboring states or in powers from other continents, should not be ruled out and should be the subject of the country's defense instruments