title: Measuring the invisible: Analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to populations exposed to drought.
abstract: Brazil, together with all the member countries of the United Nations, is in a process of adoption of a group of Sustainable Development Goals, including targets and indicators. This article considers the implications of these goals and their proposed targets, for the Semi-Arid region of Brazil. This region has recurring droughts which may worsen with climate change, further weakening the situation of access of water for human consumption in sufficient quantity and quality, and as a result, the health conditions of the exposed populations. This study identifies the relationship between drought and health, in an effort to measure progress in this region (1,135 municipalities), comparing relevant indicators with the other 4,430 municipalities in Brazil, based on census data from 1991, 2000 and 2010. Important inequalities between the municipalities of this region and the municipalities of the rest of Brazil are identified, and discussed in the context of what is necessary for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Semi-arid Region, principally in relation to the measures for adaptation to achieve universal and equitable access to drinking water.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Cientifica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, aderitasena@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aderita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sena
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos Machado
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Cientifica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, aderitasena@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Christovam
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barcellos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brasil.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ramalho
authors.affiliation: University of Canberra, Canberra, Austrália.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corvalan
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002947:Cities; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D055864:Droughts; D006040:Goals; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans