“It had better be a turning point because what we are passing are the turning points of the planet” – the critical thresholds from which there is no turning back. The deputy of Les Corts Valenciennes Juan Bordera (Compromís) spoke thus just days after a devastating DANA claimed the lives of 216 people in his community. Have the climate alarm bells rung in Spain?
The fact that Spain is a country vulnerable to the impacts already caused by climate change (such as the multiplication of the strength of the DANAS) has been a scientifically proven reality for years. However, the country has not been immune from denialist speeches and delays in adopting measures, not only to mitigate the causes of global warming, but also to make decisions to prepare for the new reality. climatic.
“Climate change kills,” repeated Tuesday the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, at the Climate Summit in Baku, where he presented the testimony of the murderer DANA to illustrate “a reality that has passed from academic articles to our televisions and our windows”. .”
“For society, these floods indeed represent a turning point,” said Professor of Geographic Analysis at the University of Alicante, Jorge Olcina. “Because it is a blow to the conscience and many people have realized what can happen when buildings are built in flood-prone areas or when the population is not warned.”
For society, these floods indeed represent a turning point. Because it is a blow to the conscience and many people have realized what can happen when buildings are built in flood zones or when the population is not warned.
Jorge Olcina
— Professor of Geographic Analysis at the University of Alicante
However, also in the scientific field, the expert in desertification (one of the most pressing climatic impacts on the peninsula) of the Ramón Margalef Institute, Jaime Martínez Valderrama, is not so clear: “I don’t know if this will be a before. » and one after because [la tormenta] Filomena could have been the case or other previous floods, even if they did not have this number of deaths.
“I am surprised that an automatic defense is also activated elsewhere with the phrase: ‘this cannot happen here’,” admits this doctor of agricultural engineering. “I think the older woman continues to deny herself, it’s impressive. There are even those who, on the contrary, use this DANA as a turning point to deny climate change, affirming that these phenomena have always existed.
“It is true that in places where very traumatic events like DANA have occurred, there is usually a shift in perception, as happened to some extent with the pandemic when we saw the concerns about environmental problems linked to health”, reflects the politician. scientist Cristina Monge. Even if he asks for a little time to see how this feeling or this social perception evolves: “We have to wait and see how it evolves. »
We have seen minor floods that have already prompted calls for climate action, and if public managers want to defend the public interest, adaptation and measures to address climate attacks must be at the forefront of political action.
Javier Andaluz
— responsible for climate change at Ecologistas en Acción
In Spain, at least at a theoretical level, the majority of the population considers climate change to be a relevant problem that needs to be addressed urgently. A survey carried out by Esade and the Carlos III University in June 2022 showed that Spaniards gave it an importance of 8.3 points out of 10. Another thing was to accept the necessary measures to put an end to it. Most of them refused to make it difficult to use gasoline, diesel or eat meat, for example.
“We have seen minor floods – with less impact than the previous one – which have already prompted calls for climate action,” says the head of climate change at Ecologistas en Acción, Javier Andaluz. The ecologist adds that “if public managers want to defend the general interest, adaptation and measures to face climate attacks must be at the forefront of political action”.
The deputy of Sumar in the Congress of Deputies, Júlia Boada, recalls that “each extreme phenomenon that affects the population in a traumatic way, we believe is the definitive event for a massive awareness regarding climate change, but I fear let this not be the case. . These days we have talked little about adaptation and mitigation policies and a lot of hoaxes and anti-politics.”
Make the transition easier
Cristina Monge analyzes that “if there is a change in the perception of citizens, there will also be more social understanding when some of the ecological transition measures that must be implemented and which could generate rejection or reluctance.” It also states that there is now “an opportunity to properly rebuild areas affected by flooding: integrating flooding issues into general urban plans or nature-based solutions.” The political scientist believes that “the change in perception should facilitate the transition”.
If there is a change in the perception of citizens, there will also be more social understanding when implementing some of the ecological transition measures that must be implemented and which could generate rejections or reluctance.
Cristina Monge
— Political scientist
In this sense, Olcina considers that if the effect of this episode were to be diluted, “the work carried out should at least remain, the remains of the human teams who intervened and the necessary planning to rebuild should be put in place.” first and plan more harmoniously later.
On the other hand, Jaime Martínez Valderrama clarifies that “technical or scientific profiles have not failed here. They worked well. “I don’t know if this episode will have stirred consciences at the political level because I don’t know if a vote count will continue if measures are applied.”
Representative Júlia Boada says that in reality, the knowledge is already there, that there is nothing to discover: “Managers who base their climate policies on science already know that we are behind and that ambition of these policies must be accelerated.
This delay is obvious, particularly when implementing plans to adapt to climate effects. “So far, bad adaptation practices have taken place, such as allowing construction in these vulnerable areas,” explains Javier Andaluz. “We have doubts about the ability of administrations to understand that the actions in the months to come after the DANA coup are not enough, but that they must be carried out in the long term. »
“The problem – adds Boada – is the denialist leaders and those who think that we can continue doing things as always. » In this sense, Juan Bordera considers that “the case of Valencia must serve to courageously confront a situation that has become uncontrollable. It is time to focus more on adaptation, and what is clear is that territorial planning must be greatly adapted to manage these types of disasters which will increase (and be worse).
