Guilherme Schneider de Moura
Tradução: Ligia Payão Chizolini
The figure of the flâneur, as described by Walter Benjamin, is an individual who observes the city, sometimes from the margins, at other times fully immersed in society. The flâneur roams the city with a keen eye, absorbing the context in which they are situated, the nuances and complexities of the world in which they live.
Traversing an urban space or a forested area allows for very different exchanges of influences and experiences. This exchange, the participation with the real world, preserves our memories, experiences, and lived moments, making the place an anchoring point for the human being.
The flood of 2023 in Rio Grande do Sul, on the other hand, brought a completely different reality to the affected region, transforming its urban landscape and drastically altering the dynamics of the spaces that the flâneur typically explores.
The spaces where the flâneur usually roamed—such as streets, squares, and sidewalks—were transformed into rivers, some areas into lakes. Where once they walked peacefully, they are now compelled to navigate through a submerged city, where the flow of water dictates the rhythm of their steps and the direction of their gaze. The natural disaster imposes a new kind of contemplation, where the flâneur not only observes but is also directly affected by the chaos and disorder brought by the flood.
The flâneur's experience is radically transformed. Instead of a familiar, welcoming, and modern city, they now face a tragic, unpredictable environment with a changed urban landscape. Every corner may reveal a new scene of devastation or resilience. The flood unveiled the fragilities of urban infrastructure, the vulnerabilities of each affected municipality, exposed social inequalities, confirmed environmental racism, and highlighted the importance of actions to mitigate the effects of climate change. It forced not only the flâneur to confront realities that often go unnoticed in daily life, but also prompted all of us to reflect on the world in which we still live.
Here, Bruno Latour's theory of ecology and the concept of “politics of nature” intertwine in a significant way. Latour argues that ecology should not be seen merely as the relationship between living beings and their environment but as a complex network of human and non-human actors that coexist and interact. In the case of the Rio Grande do Sul flood, the floodwater becomes a highly relevant non-human actor, shaping and transforming urban and rural life. The city, traditionally viewed as a space dominated by human action, reveals itself to be vulnerable to natural forces, demonstrating the interdependence between society and the environment.
The flood in Rio Grande do Sul in 2023 serves as yet another wake-up call regarding the vulnerability of cities in the face of an environmental catastrophe. The occupation of irregular spaces for housing—where families often have no choice about where they live—are the most affected, as they inhabit forested areas and hillsides. This entire tragedy can be seen as the Earth’s reaction, as if it decided to take action, assuming responsibility for a new world.
The intensity of extreme events places various regions, cities, and rural areas at far greater risk than existing predictive models can calculate. The entire country, including Rio Grande do Sul, is experiencing a climate emergency with potential catastrophes.
A close look at the catastrophe reveals both suffering and solidarity at the same time. It’s not hard to imagine that the reactions to global warming shock everyone, creating a collective sense of losing the world. The problem needs to be faced head-on, yet trivial responses question the truth of the facts that science presents to us. And it is the elite who will deny the facts, poisoning those around them. It’s like casting pearls before swine.
The ability to adapt to climate change can increase our resilience, but actions are needed to promote a more sustainable economy, protect public health, safeguard the mental health of these populations, and implement public policies to mitigate the effects of climate change.
We are missing the basics. To paraphrase biologist and sociologist Edward O. Wilson: "When we destroy biodiversity, we destroy ourselves!"
References
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