The average temperature in Brazil can rise by four degrees Celsius by the year 2100 and is expected to prompt a sea level rise of half a meter and threaten 42 million Brazilians who live in coastal areas, according to a report released by the Environment Ministry on Tuesday.

The report was based on a 2004-2006 research carried out by the Center of Weather Forecast and Climatic Studies, together with the National Institute of Space Research. It focused on the effects of climate changes on the country's biodiversity and pointed out Rio de Janeiro is the city that is the most vulnerable to sea level rise.

In a more pessimistic scenario in which global warming would continue at the same pace as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently revealed, Brazil's average temperature, which is currently 24.9 degrees Celcius, could reach up to 28 degrees in the 21st century.

At the same time, deforestation and the emission of greenhouse gases could provoke an eight-degree Celsius increase in the temperature of the Amazon rain forests.

The study showed that the Atlantic Ocean has been rising by an average 40 centimeters per century in the Brazilian coast. However, due to effects of global warming, sea level rise can hit 50 centimeters in this century.

Environment Minister Marina Silva said on Tuesday that Brazil must inaugurate a new civilizing process, otherwise it will be very hard to live with those effects.

Source: Xinhua