Brazil Climate Relief Fails to Address Critical Gaps in Gender and Age

Research in Brazil reveals that climate disasters and pandemics disproportionately impact women and older fishers, highlighting the need for targeted aid strategies.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 29, 2026, 10:16 AM EDT

Source: Dialogue Earth

The Disproportionate Impact of the 2019 Oil Spill

In late 2019, a massive oil spill contaminated approximately 2,900 km of Brazil’s coastline, hitting the states of Alagoas, Bahia, and Rio Grande do Norte with toxic crude. The environmental disaster devastated mangrove ecosystems and nearshore environments, which are essential to the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities. For individuals like 52-year-old Ana Paula de Oliveira Santos, the spill was not just an ecological crisis but an economic one, as the shellfish she gathered became unsellable due to widespread contamination fears.

The research conducted by the Pacto Futuro network (RPF) found that fisherwomen were hit significantly harder than their male counterparts. Specifically, 30% of women lost more than 80% of their income during the spill, compared to 22% of men. This disparity is rooted in the gendered division of labor; women primarily gather shellfish in shallow waters and mangroves—natural sinks for pollutants—while men typically fish further offshore for species less affected by the surface sludge.

Pandemic Challenges and the Vulnerability of Older Fishers

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic shortly after the spill introduced a social and health shock that targeted a different demographic. While the oil spill penalized those working in nearshore environments, the pandemic disrupted supply chains for offshore fishermen. Bernardo de Barros, a 57-year-old fisherman, noted that while he could still catch fish, the lack of storage facilities and the disappearance of buyers left his catch worthless.

The study revealed that age became a defining factor for economic survival during the lockdowns. Only 30% of older fishers were able to secure alternative income, largely because they lacked the digital literacy to sell products via platforms like WhatsApp. Younger fishers proved more adaptable, pivoting to direct-to-consumer sales, while older community members faced higher health risks that restricted their movement and forced them into precarious odd jobs like mending nets.