lCognitive neurologists have taught us that our brains “put our heads in the sand” and that we do everything we can to banish representations of past or future dramatic events from our minds. The media helps us in this function of forgetting: by nature, they make information follow one another, erasing old ones as new ones emerge, without taking into account the role of social networks, zapping, advertising or entertainment programs. that accentuate this process.
And yet, we have a moral and political obligation to learn lessons from the climate disasters that now occur with increasing frequency. The last flood in Europe, the flood that claimed the lives of more than 200 people and destroyed most of the economy of the Spanish region of Valencia, should be not only investigated – planned – but also truly collective reflection, in Spain and in other places. Fashion is “feedback”: in the case of Valencia, it is essential. Organized in all countries and in the form of discussion forums that include citizen participation, it could play a vital role. These forums could address at least three elements.
The first refers to the role of public services. We could try to understand why the regional authorities, to which this competence had been transferred, abolished the emergency services. It is now fashionable to question the unbearable weight of taxes and public spending, and highlight the uselessness or excess of public services, even when they are responsible for forest and biodiversity management, meteorology… It is also fashionable to have. “I hate public officials”as highlighted in the book of the same name by Julie Gervais, Claire Lemercier and Willy Pelletier (Amsterdam, 260 pages, 18 euros). And yet, the role of public authorities is essential to prevent and take responsibility, as a last resort, for catastrophes, something that insurance is incapable of. We need strong public services, present in all territories: forums could make it possible to strengthen consent to taxes.
“Invaluable” losses
This brings us to the second element that deserves reflection. The president of the Valencian Community asked the Government for aid of 31,000 million euros: the equivalent of the region’s annual gross domestic product! A sum that is not only colossal but will also never compensate for the “invaluable” human and economic losses. A sum whose enormity allows us to understand the unrealistic nature of the forecasts of most economists. These forums could be an opportunity to re-examine them and reflect on how they have fueled the wonderful optimism of governments, policymakers and citizens.
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