Opinion: Brazilians’ Diffident Attitude towards Climate Change

RIBEIRÃO PRETO, BRAZIL – A recent DataFolha poll indicates that some 85 percent of Brazilians believe in global warming, and some 72 percent believe that humans contribute to warming. But of those who believe in climate change, only 28 percent said they were well informed on the subject. In short, most Brazilians are not aware of, nor fully engaged with, the question of climate change.

Why this lack of engagement? One reason is that climate change does not get the same amount of publicity in Brazil as it does in developed countries.

Why this lack of publicity? One reason is that Brazil’s weather is not as drastic as that of the northerly climes, whose media headline blizzards, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, forest fires, melting glaciers and such like.

Jay Inslee, a U.S. presidential candidate, wrote in a NY-Times op-ed, “Americans see climate change in the floodwater in their homes, the choking smoke from wildfires that envelop their skies and the devastating storms that hit their communities each year.”

Brazilians, on the other hand, rarely see these extreme weather conditions. Floodwaters affect very few cities, and they usually result from rainfall, not rising seas. Decennial droughts in Brazil’s semi-arid sertão have long since become part of its literary culture. Wildfires are rare, blizzards and hurricanes non-existent.

Melting polar ice caps and Himalayan glaciers seem far removed from Brazil, and, after all is said and done, the immense, intensely verdant Amazon is ours, photosynthetically and protectively oxygenizing the country (and the planet).

As Jorge Ben’s 1969 hit “País Tropical” wistfully summed it up: “Moro num pais tropical, abençoado por Deus, e bonito por natureza.” [I live in a tropical country, blessed by God and naturally beautiful.]

Having said the above, you may well ask: “What about the threat of climate change? Will it affect Brazil? If so, when and how badly?”

The answer is unclear. Carbon-based fuels such as coal and gasoline are not huge villains here: hydroelectric generators power almost all Brazilian industry and commerce; wind and solar power use are increasing dramatically, particularly in Brazil’s Northeast. Even motor vehicles must also run on biofuels such as ethanol.

Tropical countries, those closest to the equator, are naturally blessed by the weather, insofar as crop and livestock growth are concerned. The absence of cold means many crops can be produced twice yearly rather than once. Livestock does not need protection from the cold in winter. Homes are designed for hot weather conditions, with air flowing through.

And, in the end, as noted above, there is the Amazon region, which inspires almost mythical awe. Most Brazilians believe that its tropical rainforests are so vast, and so naturally resistant to incursions, as to be immune from any human threat.

Two well-known historical examples encourage this view: the east-west Trans-Amazon Highway and the north-south Belém/Brasília Highway. The military government started the Trans-Amazon but did not maintain it, and the forest has reclaimed large stretches. Similarly, the widened and paved Belém/Brasília has fallen into disrepair deep into the Amazon.

In short, while the earth’s climate may be warming, it is hard to convince Brazilians that the change will adversely affect Brazil. Until scientists prove to Brazilians that their beloved country is not a self-sufficient island of plenitude, most will not worry about its climate.