BRAZIL: RECORD FLOODS + HEAT WAVES and a WAR AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

Recently I published the POST below and this is a follow-up update. Since the end of April, the southernmost State of?#Brazil, #RioGrandedoSul (#RS) and the southern part of the northward neighboring state of #SantaCatarina have been mostly underwater, which has been described by some authorities as a "#Tsunami or Deluge or a Brazilian #Katrina".?

In fact, for several months these southern States have been battling a number of floods, but none in the current "calamity" proportion.?And metrological entities are predicting that on-off rains should stretch to the end of the month.

Now there are 364 towns and small cities affected with some people still trapped as land transportation can not be reached in some areas (roads flooded, bridges broken, landslides etc).?

A State authority claimed a type of "exodus" from the areas that are still accessible by land but these have been double burdened because thieves have been trying to rob what was left in the homes, giving another challenge to the local police and rescue teams who are exhausted and focused on saving peoples' lives.?

The previous historical 1941 record of 5 meters (16.5 ft) water height was already surpassed by?10 to 15% in some regions and waters in a few of these it is still rising due to the breakage of upriver water dam walls.

The last official reports state that 873,000 people were affected, 129,000 were displaced, 83 people died and 111 disappeared but the numbers continue rising.?

Potable water, food & fuel and other items supplies as well as electricity have been compromised (besides due to the damage to the infrastructures but also to avoid electrical shocks upon individuals) and donations have been sent from all over the country by air and sea. Some supermarkets are running out of goods and some out of the region are already raising prices.

The damage does not stop with the above as Rio Grande do Sul (a State almost twice the size of Portugal) is one of the main large-scale agriculture and livestock production centers of the country which is traded within Brazil and in the International Markets.?

Local prices for these commodities have started to rise and soon may have some impact on the Futures Markets. President Lula is already claiming to import certain commodities to avoid scarcity and significant price rises.

The State's principal Agricultural production (in decreasing order) is: 1) Soybeam (the vast majority), 2) rice (68% largest producer in Brazil and is the "I-can-not-live-without" staple food in the country), 3) wheat, 4) corn, 5) tobacco, 6) grapes, 7) apples and 8) others

The State is also a strong livestock producer both for the Brazilian and International markets (in decreasing order): 1) chicken (eggs and meat), 2) cows (milk and meat), swine (meat), sheep and ram.??

A significant portion of the livestock died or started to starve because of the lack of food, fuel and access.

The losses and quantification of this #climatedisaster are incalculable, both in terms of the damage to the people themselves as well as in terms of food production and infrastructure wreckage

Meanwhile, as mentioned in part 1 of this publication (below), blue-sky HEAT WAVES continue in the little farther northern states. It is like "summer" during the southern hemisphere's Autumn.?

Brazil was already battling with a financial/ fiscal deficit/debt and now the national government is "printing" and borrowing more money to help settle and reconstruct what has been lost. A drop in the Country's? GDP is growingly expected this year, as well as increased inflation.?

In fact, what should be even more concerning is that with the current worsening #climatechange, similar disasters may happen again while all types of structures are still in reconstruction (which will take years) or afterward

I AM REINFORCING ALL THIS NEGATIVE NEWS IN THE HOPES OF ALERTING THAT TAKING GRADUALLY INCREASING ACTION TO ADJUST OUR WAYS OF?LIVING TO TAME DOWN OUR #CLIMATECRISIS MAY NO LONGER BE EFFECTIVE BUT THAT WITH THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCES OF THE MYRIAD, RELENTLESS ALL-KINDS OF CLIMATE EXTREMES AROUND THE WORLD WE WITNESSED OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS, WE SHOULD START ACTING AS IF IT IS A WAR...

...A WAR AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE!

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Part 1 (below)

CLIMATE CRISIS FACETS: SOUTH OF BRAZIL UNDERWATER AND CENTER-SOUTH SUFFERING HEAT WAVES

The southernmost State of #Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul and its capital have several regions that are underwater. Some 1 million people are being affected in one way or another (many lost everything)

Over 265 mid-small cities are flooded by torrential rains with some areas approaching 5 meters (16.5 feet) and still rising, many of them surpassing historic records according to the National System of Information on Hydraulic Resources

So far 41 people died and 70 disappeared.

Many regions are without electricity and potable water.?

Floods have been pounding the very south of Brazil, on-and-off, for a few weeks but the situation got worse this week and it is expected to last more a few days

The misfortune has already advanced to the neighbor's northern state of Santa Catarina

The State's Government declared a Public Calamity and several national rescue forces were moved to the most critical areas

Meanwhile, the South East (north of these 2 states) is experiencing the 4th heat & dry wave of the year with top summer temperatures in the midst of the South Hemisphere Autumn.

Some areas are at or in imminent records for the season

According to the National Atmospheric & Weather Authority, the double extremes are a result of the confluence of 3 unusual weather phenomena that supposedly were fueled by?#climatechange?which have been manifesting itself all over the world on an almost daily basis

We are running out of time to stop or slow down the current trending up (momentum) global?#climatecrisis

We must rush up to fight unimaginable consequences for our civilization

#globalwarming #globalboiling #flood #heatwave