On October 29, 2024, we suffered a natural disaster unprecedented in the recent history of our country. The days pass and, immersed in an absolute national commotion, we become aware of the magnitude of the disaster. The desolation of those who have survived the catastrophe to wake up in an apocalyptic scenario to which help never arrives as quickly as would be necessary resonates tirelessly on the news and on social networks.
For a moment, the frenetic pace of capital seems to have stopped and solidarity and empathy emerge everywhere, giving us hope in a society that seemed blinded by voracious consumerism. But at the same time, while indignation increases against the magnitude of the disaster and the mismanagement, noise and misinformation spread unstoppably, taking advantage of the fact that emotions are on the surface and that the urgency of the moment drives us to the immediacy of information and action. Therefore, it is essential to point out that, although it is the time for solidarity and the time to act, it is also the time to reflect and analyze what has happened. It is time to rethink if we want to simply return to the old “normality” or if we want to rebuild a new way of cohabiting, more resilient and less unequal, more aware of our vulnerability and less dependent on extractivism and capital.
But how can we contribute as citizens to this reconstruction? Obviously, the help of those thousands of volunteers who are distributing food, bailing water and cleaning mud from the affected areas is essential. Also essential is the large amount of humanitarian aid that is being donated, collected and sent from all parts of Spain. In the same way, it is essential that each and every one of us become aware of the role of science and of the scientists who have been warning us for decades about the very serious consequences of climate change and whose efforts have given us today very effective tools to prevent and prepare in advance for this type of disaster.
For days, atmospheric prediction models had been pointing out the great intensity of precipitation that DANA would bring to certain areas of our country. In fact, these models allowed, despite the great uncertainty and complexity associated with this type of phenomena, for the meteorologists of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) to issue red warnings hours in advance, precisely in those areas. who were ultimately more affected. DANA and its associated impacts were impossible to stop, however, greater caution in the face of the warnings issued by science would perhaps have served to minimize the damage and save numerous lives.
On the other hand, and although it is still early to know exactly to what extent climate change has contributed to the probability and intensity of this particular catastrophe, what science is clear about, and has been strongly warning for years, is that the The terrible global warming that we are causing is making these and other adverse meteorological phenomena increasingly frequent and intense and putting the lives of millions of people at risk.
Precisely for this reason, we must trust science and listen to its warnings, but be aware that science cannot give us miraculous solutions to the climate emergency. The solutions to this enormous challenge go beyond science and technology; they also require social, cultural and political changes. Therefore, if this catastrophe is to be of any use, it should be to encourage us to carry out all possible efforts and the necessary sacrifices to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and thus mitigate the global warming that the Earth is going to experience. .
But, in addition, what we have seen, felt and suffered these days of horror should help us understand the magnitude and inevitability of many of the consequences of this anthropogenic climate change. We have no choice but to adapt to these consequences. And this adaptation also requires enormous resources, efforts and a lot of reflection and planning about all aspects of our society, our economic system, our lifestyle and our way of relating to nature.
Adaptation requires proudly paying our taxes to invest and strengthen public services, because it is these services, such as the AEMET, Civil Protection, the UME (Military Emergency Unit) and others, that constitute our first line of defense against the ravages What can and will cause the climate emergency. It is so absurd that in this context there are still political forces willing to dismantle them, as well as that there are those who simultaneously defend strengthening them and stopping paying taxes.
Facing this emergency requires assuming our vulnerability to extreme natural phenomena and our responsibility in altering the natural cycles and systems that regulate our planet’s climate. It requires profound social transformations that will only be possible through education that makes the development of environmental awareness its backbone and social justice its fundamental value.
This DANA has ended the lives of hundreds of people, has taken everything from thousands of families, has shocked us all and has put in check the capitalist socioeconomic system itself that is leading us directly towards the abyss. Let us never forget this tragic episode. Let’s be critical to stop misinformation. Let us not allow the interests of a few to redirect our indignation and our impulse towards authoritarian, individualist or directly eco-fascist solutions. Let us demand that institutions dedicate all possible resources to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Let us not lend our support to denialist or retardist political formations, nor to those that prove totally incapable of managing this disaster. Let us carefully maintain the hope that it is possible to rebuild ourselves from a better way of cohabiting the world.
#catastrophe #foretold
