Porto Alegre – Due to a cultural event, Sheila and I ended up getting involved in the worst climate tragedy of all time in Rio Grande do Sul.
I was stuck in a hotel in Porto Alegre – in the Moinho de Ventos neighborhood – and she was on board a plane in São Paulo, which prevented her from reaching the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.
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What was supposed to be a peaceful trip for two – like the last time we came to Porto Alegre together – turned into chaos, despair, anxiety and fear.
The capital of Rio Grande do Sul has experienced its greatest tragedy, due to rain, since 1941. The rains that have hit the southern state since April 25th have already claimed more than 100 lives. To make matters worse, there is a lack of water, energy, food and transportation for residents of the most affected areas.
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The blockage of roads, Salgado Filho International Airport and the floods caused by the record high water levels of the Guaíba River, which prevented us from leaving the city, have made it difficult for donations to arrive.
According to the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Defense, in a bulletin released last night, in addition to the more than 100 dead, 135 people are reported missing. Salgado Filho International Airport, the main gateway to and from the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, remains closed for an indefinite period. And the forecast is that it will continue like this until the end of the month.
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The rains also caused damage and changes in traffic on state highways in Rio Grande do Sul. Until yesterday there were 99 stretches on 42 state highways in Rio Grande do Sul, with total and partial closures. We managed, myself and 15 other people who were staying at the same hotel, to leave the city in a rented van along the coast, heading to Florianópolis. From there, I headed to São Paulo and, finally, Rio de Janeiro.
Friends I made on the trip stayed behind. I hope you are well.
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The tragedy, however, shows that we have reached a point where it is easy to imagine the beginning of the total destruction of the planet. The scenario in Rio Grande do Sul is apocalyptic. Reflection of the destruction of the Amazon forest – the only one left in the world after the destruction of the forests in China and India, centuries ago – of desertification caused by thermonuclear experiments; ecological disasters (such as Brumadinhos); illegal mining; from acid rain; of chemical waste – not to mention poverty, misery, urban violence, housing deficit and overpopulation.
Gary Snider, a Beat poet, once said that the earth can only support 10 percent of its current population – otherwise it will be quickly destroyed by the depletion of natural resources.
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This is what we are experiencing, I believe, and I think the human species should start to worry. All of us, but especially politicians.
Or we will experience new tragedies like the one we are experiencing in Rio Grande do Sul.
