According to experts, the floods destroying southern Brazil have been aggravated by deforestation, some of it driven by soybean cultivation, and they call for the country’s forests and their large water holding root systems to be restored.
For the last three weeks key agricultural state Rio Grande Do Sul has been hit by a never before seen climate disaster with cities and rural areas inundated from heavy rain leaving over 150 dead and at least 100 unaccounted for.
This is the fourth such extreme weather event in less than a year in the region which scientists say is driven by climate change — but also deforestation.
“There’s a global component to climate change, and also a regional one, which is the loss of native vegetation. That increased the intensity of the floods,” said Eduardo Velez, biologists at MapBiomas that uses satellite images to monitor deforestation.
Rio Grande do Sul lost 22% or 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) of its natural vegetation between 1985 and 2022 according to this group.
These wildlands are now fields mostly filled with rice, eucalyptus trees and above all soybeans which make Brazil currently number one world producer as well as exporter.
– Vicious cycle –
Jaqueline Sordi region based journalist biologist specializing on climate issues explains that native forests will enable water infiltrate into soil hence it doesn’t accumulate on its surface.
Moreover it helps anchor soil therefore preventing erosion and landslides.
That was one way he described what had happened after AFPeriods of flooding in wetland areas led to massive erosion there during these heavy rains,” he told AFP about deep brown color of water covering Porto Alegre —the capital city of State along with most cities within Rio Grande do Sul amounting up to around ninety percent.”
Now that mud resides in rivers making them become shallower hence more susceptible to future flooding perpetuating the vicious cycle.
“Besides human resettlement (from high risk areas) and rebuilding infrastructure, a very important issue is restoring native vegetation,” Velez explained.
According to a 2023 study from Instituto Escolhas, a sustainable development group, Rio Grande do Sul needs to restore over one million hectares of forests so that they can play their full role in environment.
However, despite an agreement signed last year with other states in southern and southeastern Brazil to reforest 90,000 hectares by 2026, there is no “top notch” plan for this in Rio Grande do Sul says Velez.
– ‘Open people’s eyes’ –
Between 2019 and 2022 while far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who is also climate-change skeptic was in office at the federal level deforestation soared.
“It became easier to get permits (to clear vegetation), and Rio Grande do Sul played a big role” in benefitting from those permits, said Sordi.
Sandro Fantinel who belongs to Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party and is also a local municipal councilor raised eyebrows last week when he suggested clearing more trees along roads as the region saw landslides during flooding due their heavy weight and waterlogged roots.
This disaster has potential to “open people’s eyes”, according to Sordi about scientific evidence on climate change and its “warnings”.
“Sometimes we only pay attention when the problem arrives.”
