Demographic Transition and Transition of Water Consumption in Brazil

The aim of this paper is to show that, first, the issue of population volume is rather important. That is, we cannot deny that a greater number of people require greater investment in terms of infrastructure and basic services, what is necessary even to reduce social vulnerability to climate change. However, due to the demographic transition, population growth in the country is close to its end.
However, on the other hand, there are other aspects to be considered in the relationship between people and environment, such as consumption of the population. Two of the most important aspects of consumption are the standard (how to consume) and the level (how much to consume). Thus, a small population, but with a high level of consumption may cause significant environmental impact.
The hypothesis we try to demonstrate is that the consumption pattern, conditioned by economic capacity, can be the deciding factor in increased demand on resources. To develop this argument we use the specific case of water consumption, showing the main aspects involved in the increased consumption of this essential good, in the Brazilian urban context.