Former vice-president of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that storms and floods in Rio Grande do Sul and severe droughts, and wildfires in the Pantanal and the Amazon will become more frequent. The expert adds that Rio de Janeiro will also suffer from the crisis, with rising sea levels, and stresses the responsibility of the States in reducing emissions.
Even if greenhouse gas emissions are halted, storms and floods in Rio Grande do Sul and severe droughts and wildfires in the Pantanal and the Amazon will become more frequent. These effects are added to rising sea levels, impacting coastal cities such as Rio de Janeiro, warns Thelma Krug, former Vice President of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"Even what was done in Rio Grande do Sul to contain the rise in water levels was not enough. It was an extreme and rare climate event, expected to happen every 100 years, which will now start happening within shorter time intervals. I foresee great challenges for States in the future and these challenges will be greater the more global warming increases," said Krug during her participation at the G20 side event "States of The Future".
The scientist, whose name was considered to take over the United Nations (UN) climate panel, emphasized that, regardless of national efforts, states have their own unique characteristics and responsibilities in addressing climate change.
"In Rio de Janeiro, for example, there are several illegal settlements and a lack of basic sanitation and drinking water. In other words, there are severe limitations to sustainable development in these places," said Krug.
For João Paulo Capobianco, Executive Secretary at the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the floods in Rio Grande do Sul testify to the fact that climate change cannot be avoided, because "it is already happening". In the Pantanal, the drought has been brought forward by four months compared to the historical curve, according to him.
"There is an internal challenge, which is to mobilize Brazilian society. In reality, we are dealing with the need for cultural change. This involves structural changes in an extremely divided society, where the short-term perspective is far superior to the ability to plan for the long term," stressed Capobianco.
Increased inequalities, even more dramatic impacts
Letícia Leobet, International Advisor to Geledés - Instituto da Mulher Negra, was even more explicit about the damage that inequality is causing to local sustainable development in Brazil. She argued that solutions to the crisis need to be tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of territories and communities, especially those with a history of being underprivileged.
"There can be no sustainable development without tackling racism, without real political commitment. Talking about political will and about the commitment to address racism must be a priority. People of African descent make up 56% of the Brazilian population," she said.
Leobet also stressed that dialogue with society is essential if their knowledge is to be legitimized. She also stressed the importance of involving community representatives in discussions about sustainability because they are the ones most affected by the climate crisis and, at the same time, the ones who contribute the least to it.
"It seems to be a universalist scenario, as if people had no race, class or gender," highlighted Leobet, adding that only by acknowledging these dimensions "will it be possible to find complete answers".
States of the Future is conducted by the Brazilian Ministries of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), Foreign Affairs (MRE), Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (MDIC), the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It is organized by Maranta and the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science, and Culture (OEI) in Brasil, with the support of the Open Society Foundations and República.org.
