Mudanças climáticas, resiliência socioeconômica e coordenação de políticas públicas: desafios para os municípios brasileiros

Abstract

There is a clear disconnect between scientific knowledge about the consequences of climate change and the concrete adaptation measures adopted by public administrations to address the problem. Climate change is already underway, as evidenced by records of increasingly frequent extreme weather events. On the other hand, public administrations in Brazil still need to prepare to deal with the growing number of problems that are already beginning to arise as a result of climate change. These problems manifest in various ways, affecting multiple dimensions of public management: civil defense, health, transportation, public works, and urban planning, among others. Furthermore, management costs are set to rise. The greatest pressure is expected to fall on subnational governments, particularly municipal governments, as environmental issues are closely tied to local conditions. Sudden or gradual floods, landslides, tornadoes and windstorms, droughts, the spread of epidemic diseases, homeless or displaced populations, and other difficulties arising from climate change generate social demands that are primarily addressed at the municipal level. To address the complex web of anticipated problems, public policies targeting each issue individually are not enough: coordination among these policies is essential. Thus, the objective of this article is to discuss the need for coordination of public policies to make cities more resilient to the socioeconomic problems expected as a result of climate change.