By FERNANDO MARTINI*
One year after the devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre becomes the stage for urgent reflections on the planet's climate future
The question posed by Francisco Eliseu Aquino at the opening table of the Climate Change Summit served as the guiding thread for the two-day meeting: “What is humanity’s biggest challenge today?” His reflections suggest that we consider climate change as a challenge on which the survival of the planet depends. The strength of this statement is supported not only by science, but also by the growing accumulation of empirical evidence – among them, the catastrophic floods of 2024 in Rio Grande do Sul.
Held one year after the tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul, on May 2nd and 3rd in the Hall of Acts of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the Climate Change Summit 2025 took on the role of mobilizing academia and society to confront the climate crisis, turning the memory of the disaster into a call for change.
A worrying perception emerged from the speeches and analyses: we are at a dangerous threshold. The idea that we are at a crucial moment, repeated in different panels, expresses the recognition that there is a chasm between the desired future – sustainable, fair, resilient – and the current reality, marked by extreme events, biodiversity erosion and growing social tensions.
The various speakers expressed the idea that climate, biodiversity and human society are interdependent dimensions of the same system in disequilibrium. Addressing these three dimensions in an integrated manner is essential for humanity to have any real chance of mitigating the consequences of ongoing climate change.
A global problem, solutions with local roots
Carlos Nobre, a renowned scientist with international recognition, pointed out that the floods in Rio Grande do Sul are part of a much broader picture. This is not an isolated disaster, but a symptom of a global process of climate degradation. The intensification of extreme events – prolonged droughts, cyclones, floods – has already surpassed the limits of unpredictability and, according to Carlos Nobre, points to the passing of points of no return. The hypothesis of systemic collapses can no longer be treated as exaggeration or alarmist rhetoric.
This recognition poses a challenge: this is a global problem that is also felt locally and that requires coordinated responses at multiple levels. The climate crisis demands an integrated approach that unites the local and the global in a single horizon of action.
It is necessary to simultaneously strengthen community initiatives, value scientific production rooted in specific contexts and develop international governance mechanisms capable of involving different institutions and sectors of society. In addition, there is the challenge of States with different interests integrating their actions, putting differences of all kinds and immediate national objectives in the background, in the name of shared commitments supported by science and common responsibility.
The emphasis on the role of education was also notable during the two-day event. Alongside effective public policies, environmental education is essential for building environmental awareness and an attitude toward dealing with climate change. But environmental education is not restricted to schools: it also implies a redefinition of the role of universities.
As Jefferson Simões stated, “If there are walls, academia must have the ability to transform walls into bridges.” This statement summarizes a central challenge: the university must not only produce knowledge, but find effective ways to communicate it, working with governments, public institutions and the population.
A notable example was the panel “Climate change and society: vulnerabilities”, which highlighted how the climate crisis affects those who already live in precarious conditions unequally – and therefore should guide public policies focused on protection and anticipation of risks. One point to be welcomed was the participation of representatives from the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office, demonstrating that the climate agenda is already mobilizing different sectors and calling on other institutions to add their voices to the debate.
O Summit It also brought back memories that highlighted the bonds of solidarity of the people of Rio Grande do Sul and the wave of support that took over Rio Grande do Sul, mobilizing people from all over Brazil. In the midst of the catastrophe, the solidarity response reaffirms the idea that tackling climate change is only possible through unity.
The letter from Porto Alegre
A Letter from Porto Alegre, presented at the end of the Climate Change Summit, is the collective record of the concerns, diagnoses and proposals discussed over the two days of the event. Prepared by experts, professors, researchers and institutional representatives, the letter brings together an articulated set of recommendations aimed at mitigating and adapting to the climate emergency.
The letter reflects the accumulation of scientific research and reaffirms urgent priorities: infrastructure, alerts, health and a new development model anchored in the energy transition and reconnection with nature. The reading by Rector Márcia Barbosa symbolizes UFRGS's commitment to the gravity of the moment and the university's responsibility towards society.
The choice of Porto Alegre as the headquarters of the Climate Change Summit 2025 gave the event a historic weight. One year after the 2024 flood, the Summit became an expression of a city that gathered its forces in a conscious effort to transform trauma into collective mobilization.
Bringing together researchers, representatives of the State and civil society, the meeting gave visibility to the urgency of tackling climate change and reaffirmed the commitment to an urgent task – in which science, universities and society have a decisive role in the future of humanity.
*Fernando Martini is a master's student in International Strategic Studies at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).
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