One of the issues in contentions in this era is that of global warming with some political and environmental commentators making it harder to appreciate that it is an issue of great concern. An integral attribute that ought to be considered now is the fact that the detrimental effects of global warming are bringing to the limelight effects such as massive flooding, raging cyclones and droughts across the world at a rate not experienced before. Nonetheless, countries such as Brazil considered some of the growing nations with huge potential across their population, face even more dangers as the continued pollutions lead to higher global warming impacts. The rising menaces from the Favelas along Rio are making it harder to keep the country from continued environmental damage. Millions of the slum dwellers in this region do not understand the dangers of global warming and as such, have no hindsight on the importance of protecting the environment. Global warming requires an all-inclusive campaign towards delimiting the changes as they occur across the community.
Favelas
Rio de Janeiro is the most populous region in Brazil and in the Americas. This was the capital of Brazil until the 1970s when Brasilia took over. Due to its vantage position along the Pacific coast, many have sought to use this as the source of their income. With many not willing to work in rural areas, they went to Rio with the aim of making more money and gaining meaningful employment (Perlman, 2010). However, being poor, they had to look for new ways of living along that led to the creation of the slums along the Pacific Coast. The area is a risky one with mudslides and flooding becoming an issue of concern amongst environmental researchers. The problem is that the houses built are substandard; hence, any mudslide would lead to numerous deaths and untold damage. Almost a million people live in the areas where the topography is mainly hilly and the houses built on the hillsides seem to be prone to more dangers in Rio (Perlman, 2010). The lack of proper drainage means that most human waste in the area has to be redirected to the ocean without understanding the basis of such redirections as they address the various trends within the community. The areas have poor sanitation and the pollution occurring as waste products are thrown everywhere leads to environmental dangers (Perlman, 2010).
Favelas have been an issue of concern for millions of people and researchers argue that Brazil is letting this become an issue affecting other parts of the world. The ocean is highly polluted meaning it is affecting the marine life and is also a danger to the environment due to non-biodegradable materials strewn all over the place (Perlman, 2010). The houses are not stable enough and the dangers of loose soil on the hillsides place the entire community in jeopardy. The beaches are littered and that means the environment is choking from all the damage (Blewitt, 2008).
Climate Analysis
Rio, housing one of the largest contingents of Favelas in Brazil, is at a huge disadvantage given its proximity to the ocean. Reports show that Rio will suffer the most as the heat waves and floods become an issue of concern around the world. The Favelas seem to suffer the most because the areas they are located in are quite underdeveloped and the buildings are substandard (Helm, 2015). If the temperature on average rises by 1 degree Celsius as anticipated by 2020, Rio will face a huge dilemma with the area being affected by these temperatures being mainly at the coastal bases. The sea levels are anticipated to rise by at least 14 centimeters in Rio compared to other areas in South America such as Lima in Peru and Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina (Helm, 2015). Health risks will be a major cause of worry amongst the poorly resourced residents in the large Favelas across the coastal area and the rising waters may cause mudslides over time (McLaren & Agyeman, 2015).
Another issue that the locals may be oblivious off is the effect their actions play when they continue to change water stream courses so that they can find a good place to build their shanties (Reed & Stringer, 2016). The streams diverted to less steady areas and hence have to curve their courses by eroding the soil from different areas. This way, they end up endangering their lives, given that most live on the hillside (McLaren & Agyeman, 2015). This distracts the ecosystem and places more strain on the environment. The torrential rains that could emerge as a result of this could lead to flash floods and more would die while others would get more affected by the health hazards existing in this region.
Trees have been cut to give room for more settlements. The ground is now bare and the trees have been replaced by more cement. The trees play a huge role in protecting the hilly sides by retaining some of the water and holding onto the soil (McLaren & Agyeman, 2015). They also act as windbreakers by the lack thereof means the houses have to suffer the immediate effects of the huge wind sessions (Helm, 2015). If erosion occurs, bare land will be exposed and more people will suffer. Such constructions should be restricted because they are a threat to the future of the city.
Greener Options
Another important thing is to look for alternate sources of energy to help protect the environment. By introducing better housing, families can then use renewable sources to cook and warm their houses rather than cut trees and endanger the forests. They can also stop using fossils and ensure the environment is better. This will boost the lives of all living within such communities as well as address the changing powers needed to address different concerns across the market (Reed & Stringer, 2016). The aim is to deliver an important constraint that will enhance protection of the environment sectors. This will also go into controlling the industrialization output in such areas because companies may seek to use such areas as production avenues and lead to the contamination of the environment (Reed & Stringer, 2016). Better sewerage systems are needed too because they assist in the development of newer communities as well as appreciate the importance of such ventures.
In conclusion, the management of any city requires farsighted leaders looking at the future of their children. The current state of Rio is not as pleasing as should be for a populous city, but the challenges can be reduced by beginning with stringent controls of those living and building in such Favelas. The aim is not to burden them with building costs but policy makers can sue their powers to help streamline activities in such areas greener options are needed to protect the city’s future.
References
Blewitt, J. (2008). Understanding Sustainable Development. London: Earthscan
Helm, D. (2015). The Carbon Crunch: Revised and Updated. New York: Yale University Press.
McLaren, D. & Agyeman, J. (2015). Sharing Cities: A Case for Truly Smart and Sustainable Cities. Boston, MA: MIT Press.
Perlman, J. (2010). Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Reed, M S. & Stringer, L. C. (2016). Land Degradation, Desertification, and Climate Change: Anticipating, Assessing, and Adapting to Future Change. New York: Routledge.
