Given this level of complexity, the book discusses key concepts such as resilience, adaptation, and mitigation. “Several authors in our book address, for example, climate resilience and adaptation, which are crucial concepts. Why? Because climate change manifests critically: we are facing extreme events occurring simultaneously in many parts of the world – droughts, torrential rains, heat waves. These events demand both an immediate response and long-term action. Resilience is connected to what we can do now, in the short term, to cope with climate change,” she explains.
Adaptation, she continues, refers to what we do – or can do – to minimize the effects of climate change, to confront them, and to resist their impacts. “The federal government, for instance, has launched a climate change adaptation policy for the tourism sector, which I cite in the book. It is an example of how the concept of adaptation is being incorporated into public policies,” adds the researcher.
For the geographer, the most important point is to understand that “climate change entails social risks: a major drought or an extreme weather event can lead to loss of life. In the case of São Sebastião, there were 63 victims. Moreover, there are profound transformations in the community’s way of life.”
