The ARCORES Network maintains constant communication with our delegation in Valencia and we remain attentive to the needs that may arise in this emergency, committed to helping those who have been affected by this tragedy. Check here how to collaborate with ARCORES.
The devastating floods that recently claimed more than 90 lives and left dozens of people missing in Valencia (Spain) shockingly reveal the magnitude and immediacy of the climate crisis. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 2023 Report was already warning of the “future” risks of climate change, warning that “continued emissions will further affect all major components of the climate system.
With each additional increase in global warming, changes in extremes will continue to increase. Continued global warming is projected to further intensify the global water cycle, including its variability, monsoon precipitation, and periods of extremely wet and dry weather…” (IPCC 2023, AR6 Synthesis Report, Summary for Policymakers, B.1.3, 12).
This catastrophic event shows that the threat is universal and does not exclude any region.
It is an urgent wake-up call for Europe and the world. For a long time, it was thought that the extreme effects of climate change would mainly affect island nations and vulnerable regions, but the reality is different: European cities are also at risk. This catastrophic event shows that the threat is universal and does not exclude any region. The climate crisis is on our doorstep and with it, the direct threat to human life and livelihoods. Yet denial and confusion about the gravity of the situation persist. As Pope Francis has expressed, “despite all attempts to deny, conceal, make up or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and are increasingly evident…” (Laudato Deum, 5).
This type of climatic catastrophe affects everyone, everywhere and immediately. Policy and action must rise to the challenge.
People and nature are at risk, not only in areas vulnerable to typhoons and hurricanes. These types of climatic catastrophes affect everyone, everywhere and immediately. Policy and action must rise to the challenge, but unfortunately we continue to allow activities that increase risk, such as uncontrolled mining and deforestation, while ignoring warnings. This leaves us increasingly vulnerable to catastrophes that are already foreseeable.
National and local adaptation policies rarely address climate vulnerabilities with the depth required by the situation. While progress has been made in green and renewable energy, disaster risk reduction needs to be prioritized as well. The Sendai Framework stresses the importance of governments investing in resilience and disaster management, and promotes “the incorporation of disaster risk assessment, mapping and management into rural development planning and management, of areas such as mountains, rivers, coastal floodplains, arid lands, wetlands and all drought and flood prone areas, identifying safe areas for human settlements while preserving ecosystems that contribute to risk reduction…” (Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, Priority 3, 30.g).
We encourage communities and institutions to show solidarity and mobilize in support of the victims, as Pope Francis invites us to do in Laudato Si’.
In this tragic event, we have witnessed a true ecological catastrophe in Spain. We mourn and pray for those who lost their lives and for those who survived these devastating floods. We hope that those affected will receive all the help they need in this time of emergency. In addition, we encourage communities and institutions to express their solidarity and to mobilize in support of the victims, as Pope Francis invites us in Laudato Si’: “with a sense of solidarity that is at the same time an awareness of inhabiting a common home that God has lent us. These community actions, when they express a self-giving love, can become intense spiritual experiences…” (LS, 232).
Fr. Jaazeal Jakosalem, OAR