Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Brazil storm disasters caused by climate change, rampant urbanization

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 24 Feb 2023 13:36
3 Min Read

At least 50 people were killed in southeastern Brazil by storm disasters.

  • x
  • Aerial view showing rescuers in the destruction path left by a landslide after torrential rain in the Barra do Sahy district in Sao Sebastiao, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on February 21, 2023 (AFP)
    Aerial view showing rescuers in the destruction path left by a landslide after torrential rain in the Barra do Sahy district in Sao Sebastiao, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on February 21, 2023 (AFP)

Disasters like the violent storm that killed at least 50 people in southeastern Brazil are becoming more frequent due to climate change and unchecked construction in flood and landslide-prone areas, according to a renowned expert.

"The more time passes, the less likely it is to find survivors. But we always work with that in mind. There can always be air pockets under the rubble," emergency official Villas-Boas told news site G1. According to the Sao Paulo state government, dozens of people are still missing after the disaster.

In an interview for AFP, Francis Lacerda, a researcher at Brazil's IPA Climate Change Laboratory, discussed the causes of disasters like the one that struck the Sao Paulo state coast last weekend as well as what can be done to stop them.

Disasters, according to him, are a result of global warming, which has led to more extreme weather events across South America and the entire planet, not just in Brazil.

"There has actually been a decrease in the total amount of rain in Brazil in the southeast, central-west, north, and northeast in the past 30 or 40 years, even as these extreme episodes have increased," he said.

He explained that oceans are absorbing a significant portion of the heat contained in greenhouse gases, which is altering ocean currents. As a result, the atmosphere reacts to these extreme weather events and changes in how heat is distributed at Earth's poles and equator.

"So total precipitation has decreased, but the distribution has become more intense, with an entire year's worth of rain falling in a few hours in some cases. Yes, although mountainous areas are at higher risk."

Read next: 36 dead in Brazil's deadly Sao Paolo floods, landslides

He illustrates how the mountain range and the arrival of a cold front with strong coastal winds intensified the phenomenon. However, coastal regions without mountains can also experience that kind of rain.

Lacerda added that "it was a tragedy foretold. A day before the storm, meteorological models started indicating a high probability of a phenomenon like this. It would have been possible to get enough information to emergency officials to evacuate these areas and save lives."

The expert explained that real-estate speculation has basically pushed poor people on the urban periphery into these high-risk areas. "It's not enough to just say, 'Get those people out of there.' We need to fundamentally reexamine our cities with a view to reformulating urban public policies."

Read next: Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls in Lula's 1st month in office

  • Francis Lacerda
  • Climate change
  • Brazil

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS