Unprecedented flooding in Brazil leaves hundreds of thousands displaced

https://www.msf.org/unprecedented-flooding-brazil-leaves-millions-affected-and-hundreds-thousands-displaced

by kaycebasques • 2 years ago

70 28 2 years ago

msf.org

Davidbrcz• 2 years ago

Like Homer says

Unprecedented, so far !

pineaux• 2 years ago

It's astonishing to see the public reaction to this is not: "Oh shit, global warming really is creating some crazy weather patterns!"

But rather: "They are trying to kill us! Chemtrails! HAARP!"

namaria• 2 years ago

Bad explanations drive good explanations away from conversation. Easy simple parrotable discourse will dominate the nuanced introspection needed to understand all the systems in play.

mistermann• 2 years ago

But rather: "They are trying to kill us!

Do you not think:

- climate change is an existential threat

- it is being caused by economic oriented activity

- people are trying at their professions?

Besides that: is your gameplay perfect, or at least causes less harm than the global per person average, necessarily?

ryanmccullagh2• 2 years ago

the roads in areas of Rio Grande do Sul became river. Many people are displaced. The water flooded houses and many people died from the effects of water and electricity.

itsanaccount• 2 years ago

That article is interesting for exactly what it doesn't say.

"Climate" does not appear in that article. Flood plain. Dam.

According to the group, Rio Grande do Sul lost 22 percent of its native vegetation, or 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres), from 1985 to 2022.

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240522-experts-say-de...

The burning question I have that maybe is too far off topic for news of a disaster, is how fast and in what magnitude do we learn about our mistakes?

boudin• 2 years ago

The article is a report of MSF, a NGO focused on medical care. It's not a newspaper, so they just talk about their mission.

orwin• 2 years ago

If we stopped our emissions today, the average temperature will likely stabilize. There is some theories that it will keep going up by .1 to .3C over 30 years, unless we also stop other GHGs, in that case it will stabilize at -.2 to -.5C over the average of this year.

In the very best case, the current climate is the climate of the future.

FranzFerdiNaN• 2 years ago

Oh hey, if it isnt the consequences of our own actions.

iancmceachern4• 2 years ago

It's disproportionately caused by countries far away from the ones facing the brunt of the challenges, so it's not a great look to say such things, depending on where you are sitting.

vermilingua• 2 years ago

Really? You don't think Brazil (the country slashing and burning with abandon at the largest forest on the planet) bares any responsibility for climate change?

questhimay2• 2 years ago

Meanwhile, in China, there are yearly flooding in major cities, where the water can't be drained through drainage due to poor planning, corruption in purported drainage fix, and now no local budget for any fixes. these floodings affect millions of Chinese each year.

For example, just in one instance, 127 million people has been affected in Guangdong province this April.

verisimi2• 2 years ago

Deforestation would cause water too run off more quickly, overwhelming local services, drains, ditches. Building on flood plains also puts people at risk - rivers might not flood every year. These factors could play a role in this situation. These are the factors I would like to know more about for the Brazil and China flooding... Is it just bad governmental town planning?

questhimay2• 2 years ago

In case for China, there are numerous reasons, from rapid urbanisation which meant the spread of impermeable concrete surfaces and reduced natural wetlands and marshes that had in the past absorbed rain. To Soviet-era urban drainage systems of shallow buried pipes leaves cities vulnerable to waterlogging during heavy rain.

here's a video of how crazy flooding gets in China https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfhd7bVEnh0.

jalbertoni• 2 years ago

These are the factors I would like to know more about for the Brazil and China flooding... Is it just bad governmental town planning?

The systems Porto Alegre and Canoas had in place used to work. When the river there goes over 3 meters it starts to flood some places, okay? Once every few years there was a flood of like, 3.5 meters, 3.7 sometimes. Those were floods that rose slowly, giving ample time to answer to situations as they arose.

In this case, on the 2nd of May, the river reached 3 meters. By midnight, the river was at 3.60 meters already. 24 hours later, the river was at 4.9 meters, and it still rose, slowly now, to 5.3 meters.

The system that was in place was completely overwhelmed. Pumping stations failed and the water started coming through the pumping stations, for example.

That said, yes, the writing was on the wall. If a place regularly floods a bit to the point you need to have dykes and pumping stations in place, eventually it will flood a lot.

linearrust• 2 years ago

What does this post have to do with china? Are you just going to post anti-china comments with your account?

dean2432• 2 years ago

Why is this on HN?

CalRobert• 2 years ago

It seems like a pretty reasonable connection to engineering, science, and planning.

Unprecedented flooding in Brazil leaves hundreds of thousands displaced

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