The storm in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, which killed more than 100 people, is seen by experts as the result of global climate change over the past few decades.
In an interview with CNN this Thursday (17), the climate manager of the NGO World Resources Institute (WRI), Caroline Rocha, said that the rains in Petrópolis were the worst in 90 years.
“It rained more in four hours than the entire volume expected for February. This is an extreme weather event,” she said.
She explained that the increase in global temperature, indicated by 1.1ºC in the latest IPCC report, makes these events become more frequent and intense.
WRI’s climate manager argued that this is already a reality in Petrópolis, and the public authorities were not prepared.
The environmentalist says that it is necessary to build a resilient infrastructure that adapts to climate change in Brazil. In addition, she said that it is necessary to reduce carbon emissions in the country drastically.
“When tragedies like this happen, those who will suffer the most are the most vulnerable population and the least resilient people to withstand these climatic events,” he concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
