North and Northeast pull states’ sustainability down

Brazilian states are still, on average, with a low score in terms of sustainability, with a clear separation between the three richest regions of the country and the two poorest.

According to the 2nd edition of the Sustainability Ranking of States, released by the CLP (Centre for Public Leadership) this Tuesday (13), the overall average grade of the ESG assessment of these 27 federation units is 40.6 (within the range from zero to 100). ESG is the acronym that brings together three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social and governance — all with a score around average.

The ranking also considers the score for the SDGs, an acronym for the 17 Development Goals.
Sustainable Development of the UN 2030 Agenda (United Nations). In this case, the average grade is 53.9.

All states in the Southeast, South and Midwest have above-average scores in both ESG and SDGs. In the North and Northeast, all are below this line.

The SDG with the highest average score is Clean and Affordable Energy (72.1). Once again, the Northern states appear in the worst positions. The numbers show that Brazilians’ access to energy has improved, but the cost is still a challenge for the country, which faced a shortage crisis in 2021 and early 2022.

The objective outlined by the UN with the lowest score among the states is Decent Work and
Economic Growth (42.1).

First place, São Paulo achieves a score of 90 and 99.7 in ODS and ESG, respectively. Pulls the first note down the result in Inequality Reduction. On the other hand, the state has 100% in seven objectives, such as those related to health and well-being, education, sanitation, energy and infrastructure.

Competitiveness ranking

The CLP also released the 11th edition of the state competitiveness ranking. São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná and Distrito Federal remain in the top four positions, as seen in previous years.

With the advancement of Rio de Janeiro from the 17th to the 11th position from 2021 to 2022, the separation between the Southeast, South and Midwest was also consolidated at the front, and the North and Northeast in the worst positions. The state advanced the most this year, with improvements in aspects such as machine efficiency, public safety, fiscal solidity and environmental sustainability.

The Excellence and Competitiveness Award was also announced, with inspiring public policies for other states. Among the highlights are the ICMS credit program to encourage investments in mobile telephony in small municipalities in Minas Gerais and the program to refund the same tax to 400,000 low-income families via debit card.