{"id":80050,"date":"2024-11-22T09:08:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T12:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80050"},"modified":"2024-12-29T14:28:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T17:28:59","slug":"rio-civil-society-gathers-across-numerous-events-to-demand-action-against-climate-chaos-unite-against-big-steel-and-launch-a-plan-for-adaptation-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80050","title":{"rendered":"Rio Civil Society Gathers Across Numerous Events to Demand Climate Action, Unite Against Big Steel, and Launch a Summer Adaptation Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Climate<\/a>
Climate March in Cinel\u00e2ndia, downtown Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This article is part of a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies<\/a>\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project<\/a> on environmental justice in the favelas for\u00a0RioOnWatch.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

During September and October, amidst the 2024 elections<\/a> and G20 preparations<\/a> in Rio de Janeiro, environmental organizations and favela collectives organized to demand an end to what they term \u2018climate ca\u00f4<\/em>\u2019\u2014a Rio de Janeiro slang word for falsehood, misinformation, or sweet talk. The groups called for unity in tackling air pollution caused by the steel company Ternium and proposed practical measures through the Summer Adaptation Plan<\/a> to make Greater Rio and its favelas climate resilient<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In September, Rio\u2019s Civil Society Demanded an End to the \u2018Sweet Talk\u2019 Around Climate Issues<\/h3>\n

On September 20 and 21, Fundi\u00e7\u00e3o Progresso<\/a> and the Climate Coalition<\/a>‘s Climate March<\/a> joined forces to occupy Lapa<\/a>, in Rio\u2019s Centro<\/a>, for the 6th edition of Plant Rio \u2013 What Kind of Climate Is This?<\/a> The events featured a series of joint actions as part of Global Climate Week<\/a> (September 22-29), which mobilized environmental initiatives worldwide to demand urgent action from public officials on climate change. A range of educational and cultural activities explored topics such as climate and environmental issues, climate policies, the G20<\/a>, and the UN\u2019s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a>, while showcasing initiatives by environmental leaders, collectives, and activists.<\/p>\n

\"Climate<\/a>
Climate March in Cinel\u00e2ndia. Photo: Amanda Baroi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following organizations came together to put a stop to the ongoing Climate Ca\u00f4\u2014<\/em>or Climate Sweet Talk: Agroforestry Collective Action<\/a>, Federation of Organizations for Social and Educational Assistance (FASE<\/a>), Forum on Climate Change and Socio-Environmental Justice<\/a>, Institute for Alternative Policies for the Southern Cone<\/a>, Touca Brazil Association, Foucabrasil, Popular Monitoring Network for Sanitation and Health, National Coordination for the Articulation of Black Rural Quilombola Communities (CONAQ<\/a>), Heinrich B\u00f6ll Foundation<\/a>, Emunah Institute<\/a>, Perc\u00edlia Teles da Silva House of Arts and Culture<\/a>, VG Farm Market<\/a>, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio<\/a>), BPC Socio-Environmental Platform<\/a>, Specialized Group on Natural Disasters (Geden<\/a>), Fluminense Federal University (UFF<\/a>), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz<\/a>), Petr\u00f3polis House of Citizenship<\/a>, Petr\u00f3polis Esperan\u00e7ar Project<\/a>, Climate Action Institute<\/a>, and Sep\u00e9 Agroforestry.<\/p>\n

\"Launch<\/a>
Launch of the “Rio is the Capital of Climate Ca\u00f4 (Climate Sweet Talk)” campaign at the Lapa Arches. Photo Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Climate Class, for example, was one of the activities offered, providing the public with an educational afternoon focused on the environment. As part of Plant Rio, the State of Rio de Janeiro Climate and Cities Coordination participated in discussion circles, including \u201c\u2018The Latest on the Climate Issue in Rio de Janeiro.\u201d Additionally, the Climate March brought around 2,000 people to Cinel\u00e2ndia<\/a>, culminating in the launch of the “Rio is the Capital of Climate Ca\u00f4<\/em> (Climate Sweet Talk)” campaign and the unveiling of a panel at the historic Lapa Arches. During the event, three open letters addressed to public authorities were read aloud, co-authored by concerned groups, organizations, and citizens affected by the lack of effective environmental policies.<\/p>\n

For climate activist Pedro Aranha, coordinator of the Climate Coalition and researcher at Fiocruz, addressing climate issues in Rio de Janeiro is equivalent to discussing survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water crisis<\/a> and extreme heat<\/a> have always been a reality in the favelas, but they will get worse. So, this Climate Class is about how we face these crises, and we already know that the grassroots movements are within the favelas. In the meantime, the government is building a climate adaptation plan with companies and not with communities.\u201d \u2014 Pedro Aranha<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Maureen Santos, political scientist and coordinator of the political nucleus at FASE, the Climate Class aimed to harness the momentum from Global Climate Mobilization Day. It served as a training ground, bringing together diverse knowledge from territories and ongoing resistance processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough FASE\u2019s international actions, which are following the People\u2019s Summit<\/a> process toward COP30<\/a> and the Global Mobilization Week on climate finance and a future without fossil fuels, the possibility of holding decentralized activities in several countries emerged. Here in Brazil, we proposed this [Climate Class] in Rio de Janeiro, leveraging the momentum of the Climate March and the Climate Ca\u00f4 Campaign. We decided to converge all these dispersed activities into a single day.\u201d \u2014 Maureen Santos<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Maureen<\/a>
Maureen Santos delivers a lecture during the Climate Class at Fundi\u00e7\u00e3o Progresso, Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the victims of the heavy rains<\/a> that struck Petr\u00f3polis<\/a> in 2022 was Claudia Severino, a resident of the Quitandinha<\/a> neighborhood. She shared how the support she received from the Petr\u00f3polis House of Citizenship project was crucial in helping her rebuild her life after the tragedy. Her story underscores the importance of the State in assisting victims through public policies, starting with social rent<\/a> and eventually transitioning to public housing programs and resettlement in nearby, safe areas designed to withstand extreme weather events.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack when the rain came, [that tragedy] really affected our mental health\u2026 There’s this discussion group I’ve been part of since 2022, [and] it has been very helpful for us, [for those of us] who lost loved ones, who lost homes. I only lost my home. Now I’m living in subsidized housing, waiting to see if the authorities will fix my house so I can return, if they’ll build the retaining wall I’ve been waiting for. It’s just me and my three children; I’m a domestic worker.\u201d \u2014 Claudia Severino<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nen\u00e9m Peixoto, a member of Geden, says that though tragedy is sometimes inevitable, it is imperative to create a culture of prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe we first need to explain to the community that we are living in a time of extremes. So, we need to create protocols to help us deal with this. For instance, individual protocols: how am I going to respond to something like this? What about family protocols? For example, should I have my belongings ready [for emergency evacuation in case of heavy rain]? Do I know my area? And, along the same lines, a community protocol: how can I prepare my community for this new reality? Disaster preparedness must be a goal today\u2026 it’s the new reality we are going to face.\u201d \u2014 Nen\u00e9m Peixoto<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Nen\u00e9m<\/a>
Nen\u00e9m Peixoto discusses the importance of prevention during the Climate Class. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MC Mystika from Piabet\u00e1\u2014a neighborhood in the sixth district of Mag\u00e9<\/a>, a municipality in Greater Rio’s Baixada Fluminense<\/a> region\u2014opened the class with a rhyme performance. She criticized the State’s negligence<\/a> and the lack of a proper sanitation budget in the region where she lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people there have lost their homes due to flooding, because the Mag\u00e9 city government never cleans the drains or anything like that. They bring in famous artists<\/a>, but they don\u2019t fix the real issues when there\u2019s a flood, when there’s a tragedy, when a family loses their home.\u201d \u2014 MC Mystika<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Specialists<\/a>
Specialists exchange ideas during the Climate Class at Fundi\u00e7\u00e3o Progresso in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Rio Is the Capital of Climate Ca\u00f4<\/em>\u2019\u2014Rio Residents March for Climate in Cinel\u00e2ndia<\/h3>\n

The Climate March brought together various groups and public figures from the Greater Rio<\/a> Metropolitan Region in front of Rio de Janeiro\u2019s City Council<\/a>. From there, participants marched to the Lapa Arches, where a banner with the campaign slogan was unfurled.<\/p>\n

\"Banner<\/a>
Banner from the “Rio Is the Capital of Climate Ca\u00f4” campaign is unfurled at the Lapa Arches. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The event also served as a call for better environmental policies in Rio. One of the demands was to raise awareness about the high pollution levels caused by the steel company Ternium<\/a>, formerly TKCSA<\/a>, in Santa Cruz<\/a>. Located in an area that was originally rural and has seen significant population growth in recent decades, this zone has also been used by Rio’s City Hall to resettle numerous families displaced from other regions before the 2016 Summer Olympics. Since its establishment, the company has drastically impacted air quality and increased the heat index.<\/p>\n

\"Climate<\/a>
Climate March in Cinel\u00e2ndia. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The steel mill\u2019s arrival and operations were denounced by Martha Trindade, a Black nurse and Santa Cruz resident who died from respiratory issues. Her activism was honored through the Martha Trindade Collective<\/a>, which carries out grassroots environmental monitoring. Currently, the steel mills located in the Santa Cruz Industrial District do not have their greenhouse gas emissions properly accounted for. However, a report<\/a> by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA<\/a>) revealed that the polluting microparticles emitted by Ternium, originating in the farthest part of Rio\u2019s West Zone, spread across the entire Greater Rio Metropolitan Region and beyond.<\/p>\n

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Uma publica\u00e7\u00e3o compartilhada por Coletivo Martha Trindade (@coletivomartha)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n