By FERNANDA FIGUEIREDO*
In the past, there was talk about protecting the environment for future generations, it seemed something far from our present. However, the current generation already lives under the effects of destruction
With climate change, the Earth has undergone drastic changes. Still, we will hear a lot about an acronym — the IPCC. It is the intergovernmental panel on climate change, which brings together scientists and countries. Increasingly, we will hear about climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and the Paris Agreement, from which some salvation may come.
The Paris Agreement is a commitment signed between 195 countries, in 2015, during COP 21 (21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It came into force in 2016, and the main goal is to keep the increase in the planet's temperature below 2º C.
It is almost certain that President Lula will attend the 28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (Cop 28), which will take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The government will implement a sustainable action plan that provides for the recovery and conversion of degraded pastures. Bear in mind that livestock and agriculture are villains in the emission of greenhouse gases.
Brazil is striving to meet the Paris Agreement target of recovering 12 million hectares of deforested areas by 2030. President Lula shows optimism by stating that Brazil will reach 2030 with zero deforestation in the Amazon. Until then, we will have Cop 30, which Brazil will host, in Belém, in 2025. It will be a preview for these concentrated efforts and goal review. Furthermore, we will have the G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
There's a question in the air. And the planet is coming to an end? It will definitely become more unbearable. With so many changes, we have to see something positive in all of this. Who knows: “The hinterland will turn into the sea…” like in the song. Perhaps, in a lunatic dream, the aurora borealis will move from the polar axis and cover the planet. Certainly, a “gran finale…” The aurora borealis is linked to the Earth’s magnetic axis and surrounded by mythologies.
In fact, everything has changed a lot, we can no longer distinguish between the four seasons.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, an organization of the European Union – the year 2023 – will be the hottest in history in 125 thousand years. In the same vein, the magazine The Lancet warns of serious danger to humanity, with an increase in deaths of elderly people due to extreme heat. A number that could increase in the coming decades, up to around 370% by 2050, according to scientists.
In Brazil, floods are more frequent, inundating cities in several states such as Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Maranhão, among others, leaving many without homes and worse, with many victims, unfortunately.
And yet, heat waves hit much of Brazil. High temperatures, with a thermal sensation of 59,3 degrees. A meteorological tsunami occurred in Santa Catarina. And from the sea came a cyclone dragging bathers onto Copacabana beach. In the Amazon, rivers dried up almost synchronously. And Manaus was covered by dense smoke. Rio Grande do Sul suffers from climate extremes. It's the planet responding that it's not going well.
Therefore, the eyes of the powerful are focused on the largest tropical forest in the world. The Amazon is central to the balance and maintenance of the planet's climate.
According to INPE, the deforested area in the Amazon is 9.001 km², from August 2022 to July 2023. This result concentrates five months of the previous government and seven of the current government. There was a 22,3% drop in the total area deforested under the current government. The numbers are from the annual report of the Deforestation Monitoring Project in the Legal Amazon via satellite – Prodes – INPE’s own system.
According to Greenpeace, “Despite the good news, the reduction is still insufficient for Brazil to meet the NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) target agreed with the United Nations (UN), of reducing its emissions by 48% by 2025 and 53% by 2030, values compared to 2005 levels”.
However, IMAZON – Institute of Man and the Environment of the Amazon states that “The area deforested in the first ten months of 2023 reached 3.806 km². Deforestation drops 6% from January to October, but is still the 6th highest in 16 years. The rate of deforestation continues to fall.”
The murder of rubber tapper leader Chico Mendes, on December 22, 1988, had worldwide repercussions. Chico Mendes is the symbol of Amazon preservation. He defended the rubber plantations. And the entire ecosystem in the region in a sustainable way. In defense of the Amazon, other environmental leaders were brutally murdered. We had the happiness of spending time with Chico Mendes, in Rio de Janeiro. And from this fighting partnership it was possible to publish articles about this coexistence. At the “I Meeting of the Peoples of the Forest”, in Altamira, we were able to witness the Indian Tuíra with her machete defending her people and the Amazon forest, the chief Raoni and the singer Sting. These are voices that echo throughout the world.
When we participated in the Amazon Defense Committee (CDA), during the military dictatorship, the focus was on fighting pharaonic projects in the Amazon, implemented by multinationals. In the current situation, the perspective on the Amazon is different. It is about saving the planet, in defense of the original peoples, of all the people of the forest, guardians of this natural heritage. Without forgetting, mainly, the Yanomami, victims of illegal mining.
The USA suffered from the blizzard of the century, with a record of minus 78 degrees on 3/2/2023, causing a tragedy, with bodies found inside vehicles, under all that snow. Canada also suffered this mass of cold coming from polar regions. These are direct effects of climate change.
Another phenomenon caused by global warming is the melting of polar ice caps, which increases ocean water levels. Thawing is always observed by scientists, as it is an important warning.
Have you ever been to the Maldives? No. Then go. According to IPCC data, there is an alert for this region. Paradise is at risk of disappearing in 2050. The government has started construction of a floating city expected to be ready by 2027, and try to survive for its residents.
According to the IPCC, being very pessimistic, the sea level could rise by around 2 meters in 2100, reaching 5 meters in 2150, in a 2º C scenario. In the catastrophic scenario of 3º C, other cities in the world would be affected, potentially submerging partially or completely.
Due to the seriousness of the transformations that the planet is going through, Tuvalu is a nation in the Pacific Ocean that is preparing to disappear with rising seas. There is already an agreement with Australia to receive these climate refugees. The average increase in the planet's temperature of more than 1,5º C will be a red alert for the survival of many places.
More frequently, we have seen an increase in earthquakes. One of great impact occurred in Turkey, Ecuador and other countries, such as Syria and Morocco. Scientists already associate these occurrences with climate change, which can enhance the movement of tectonic plates. These tremors shake ocean waters, they are giant wave tsunamis. See how everything is connected.
In the past, we talked about ecology, about protecting the environment for future generations, it seemed something far from our present. Always affirming to leave a better planet in the future. What future? Our own generation suffers the effects of destruction. The lack of care for our mother Earth (Gaia). Let us all save ourselves!
*Fernanda Figueiredo is an activist in defense of the environment.
the earth is round exists thanks to our readers and supporters.
Help us keep this idea going.
CONTRIBUTE
