Ciro de Souza Brito, climate policy analyst at ISA, highlights the urgency of climate adaptation in the face of extreme events in the North
*Opinion article originally published in the newspaper O Liberal, on 15/03/2024
You may be aware that some northern states are experiencing tragic extreme weather effects.
The flood of rivers has punished Acre. In Rio Branco, the 2nd largest flood in history was recorded. For Civil Defense agencies, this is considered the biggest environmental disaster in history, due to the number of cities affected. Nineteen are in a state of emergency, which is equivalent to 86% of the State. The number of people affected by the flood already exceeds 120 thousand. In the 14 most critical cities, there are public shelters serving more than 9 thousand homeless people. There are still 17.480 people displaced.
In Roraima, the situation is extreme. The State broke a record for hot spots in February (2.057 records) and took the national lead in states with the highest number of hot spots. The Fire Department assesses that 100% of fires are being caused by human action and that there is nothing to do, just wait. Smoke tends to persist for up to 3 or 4 days after firefighting.
Roraima has been facing a severe drought. Its main source of drinking water, the Rio Branco, reached the impressive negative level of -0,15m in February. Ninety percent of Roraima's population depends on water from the Rio Branco.
The situation of the Yanomami, Macuxi and Wapichana indigenous peoples is bleak. Their homes and farms are being destroyed by fires and in 4 municipalities the water in the rivers can be compared to mud. The Roraima Indigenous Council (CIR) assessed that around 50.000 indigenous people do not have access to drinking water.
Here in Pará, Santarém also suffered a severe drought. According to Civil Defense data, the level of the Tapajós River reached 94 centimeters in October 2023, 38 cm below the most severe drought ever recorded in history, in 2010. At that time, City Hall declared an emergency situation in several areas of the municipality.
These climate effects must be addressed through climate adaptation, which is a set of measures and initiatives that aim to reduce or avoid the current or expected harmful effects of climate change through adjustments to natural and human systems.
The Federal Government has carried out activities with the objective of updating the National Climate Adaptation Plan, which must consist of 15 sectoral plans, be valid for 12 years and be reviewed every 4 years.
The Legislative Branch has also been moving. Two weeks ago, the Senate Environment Committee approved Bill 4.129/2021, which establishes guidelines for the formulation and implementation of climate adaptation plans at national, state and municipal scales.
Civil society directly proposed to the rapporteur of this project in the Senate improvements in the wording - the prioritization of the most vulnerable areas, sectors and populations, observing criteria of ethnicity, race, gender and disability status; and the inclusion of civil society participation in the coordination and management of adaptation plans in the various spheres of government. The proposals were incorporated into the PL, which now goes to the Senate plenary and then returns to the Chamber.
Still, it's worth speeding up. We need structured public policies, which contain adaptation measures. We are living in a Brazil of social and territorial inequalities resulting from global warming and those who have suffered most from environmental racism are the black, peripheral, indigenous population and those from traditional communities, in cities and in forests. Exactly those who don't have time to wait for the smoke to clear.