By Gustavo A Maranges on February 18, 2022
Petropolis Brazil
Weather phenomena has become daily news in all the world’s media. Heat waves, intense cold fronts, extreme droughts, devastating cyclones, and heavy rains have affected millions of people, generating economic and social chaos in the impacted regions. However, the thesis that the devastating consequences of these phenomena are a matter of bad luck does not survive the simplest of analyses.
The most recent of these phenomena were recorded in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil, where heavy rains have generated more than 300 landslides after in just six hours more than 10 inches of rainfall were reported. It is equivalent to the historical average for the entire month of February. According to records and specialists, this is the heaviest rainfall in the region in the last nine decades.
Images of the affected areas show a desolate scenery of large mud rivers flowing through the city. According to Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro, about 900 people lost their homes. On the other hand, Regional Development Minister Rogerio Marinho said that the federal government’s aid available is US$194.6 million, which will be used to rebuild the area and assist affected businesses and people.
Despite the extensive infrastructure damage, the most painful loss so far is 120 people have died in the disaster; a figure that has increased dramatically since the beginning of the mudslides. According to the latest report from the Civil Defense of Rio de Janeiro, only 24 people have been rescued, while 134 others are still missing.
Behind this painful fact, is where the social undertones of this issue lie. The city of Petropolis is located some 68 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro and in recent years has undergone significant economic development. This has caused the migration of some of Rio’s poorest sectors to the city. The settlements of these groups have been built on land that does not have the necessary conditions to be urbanized, which has been worsened by the lack of adequate drainage systems and deforestation.
This is evidence of the vulnerability in which millions of people live in the world since Petrópolis is only an example of what could happen in any other country or city, especially when there is a lack of social policies aimed at fostering decent and safe housing for low-income citizens.
This is not a politicization of an event, but a reality that few people think about when events like this happen. Rains come with or without social policies, but the human losses wouldn’t be so significant if government authorities had been interested in guaranteeing an adequate place for settlements, especially in a region characterized by heavy rains at this time of the year.
The phenomenon that annually generates heavy rains in a region extending from southern Brazil to the La Plata River basin is known as “flying rivers”. These are masses of very humid air that carry billions of liters of water and move at high speeds. These low clouds absorb moisture from the tropical Atlantic and the Amazon that later bounce off the Andes Mountains and head towards La Plata River’s basin, where it generally precipitates due to the interaction with cold fronts.
This phenomenon is not directly related to climate change, as it is a historical phenomenon. However, it is important to recognize that the extreme weather conditions generated by climate change might impact the intensity of climate change. The increase in global temperature leads to broader evaporation of the oceans and the Amazon. Thus, the humidity level of flying rivers increases, and rainfall intensifies, as climates are colder than normal in the zone.
The above, together with the deforestation of the area where the landslides have occurred, shows that the tragedy experienced by Petrópolis cannot be analyzed only as a casual climatic phenomenon, but has political and social components that should not be overlooked, primarily the lack of civic planning. The permanent application of the neoliberal paradigm has accelerated the deterioration of the environment and has naturalized policies that marginalize and make vulnerable large population groups. Therefore, events such as those in Petropolis are not just environmental tragedies resulting from bad luck.
As people of the world, we cannot directly control climate phenomena, but we can fight against these neoliberal policies that are hidden in the analyses, as a way to protect them. The day will come when there is an understanding that the problems are rooted in a social system that is fueled by the greed of a few regardless of the devastating social and environmental consequences. A collective and planned alternative is needed to avoid events as painful as those in Petrópolis. Only then will we be able to lament the human and material damage caused by these phenomena while doing something about it without the burden of conscience. In the meantime, we will bear at least part of the responsibility.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English