by Carmelita Veneroso

In light of the recent catastrophic floods in Brazil and around the world, questions arise about how working people, who are experiencing the devastating side effects of climate change, will navigate these uncertain times and how crucial it is, now more than ever, to pay a living wage. What role does living wage and living income play in answering their reality? Carmelita Veneroso, one of our researchers based in Brazil, has written a blog delving into the heart of the situation. She sheds light on the gravity of the disaster and its effect on the livelihoods of thousands of people, some of whom Carmelita and ARI Senior researcher, Ian Prates have both worked with personally.

In Sinimbu and Candelária, we had visited and seen the most vulnerable houses in the entire countryside. With great sorrow we suspect some of them don't even exist anymore.

At the beginning of April this year, Ian Prates and I visited at least eleven municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul to collect data for a living income benchmark in the central-eastern region of the state. All the municipalities visited are currently in public crisis due to the floods in recent weeks. Now, there exists a devastating scene of more than 300 towns in the state of Rio Grande do Sul being invaded by water, only eight months after another disaster of the same nature, which caused great destruction, loss, and death. The hardest hit are those in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, such as Sinimbu, Candelária, and Santa Cruz do Sul, where we had just stayed for 12 days. In Sinimbu and Candelária, we had visited and seen the most vulnerable houses in the entire countryside. Many of these houses were made of wood and located very close to the rivers and lakes that supply them with drinking water. With great sorrow we suspect some of them don't even exist anymore.

For decades, Brazil has faced immense flooding due to improper city planning. The construction of cities over rivers, mangroves, streams, and lakes—many of them below sea level—has caused overflows of water, which is an almost daily reality in many Brazilian cities. These lapses, combined with climate change and global warming, have caused major disasters, especially in recent years. In 2023 alone, there were more than a thousand hydrological disasters in the country, causing landsides and overflowing rivers, with the largest occurring in Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Amazonas. Other states of Brazil also have constant flooding, which causes irreparable damage and loss, from rural areas, with the loss of crops and animals in rural areas, and destruction of houses, cars and streets in larger metropolises. 

As I watch the tragedy unfold from the safety of my home, I am reminded that they have not only lost their homes, but they have lost their food, their animals, and their means of feeding themselves for months to come. While talking to the local community, we found that they produce their own food. They grow their own fruit, beans, potatoes, manioc, and some vegetables, as well as raising pigs, cattle, and chickens, all on their own properties. To store this food throughout the year, most of the houses had around two freezers, admitting their greatest fear was being without power for days, which would cause them to lose several months' worth of stored food. It is estimated that, in 2023, around 30,000 animals were killed by the floods in rural Rio Grande do Sul, including cows, pigs, chickens, and others, as well as food production, such as soybeans and rice. This does not just affect their own ability to feed themselves and their communities, but it means any exporting income is stopped, causing farms to struggle which triggers job losses.

As I watch the tragedy unfold from the safety of my home, I am reminded that they have not only lost their homes, but they have lost their food, their animals, and their means of feeding themselves for months to come. 

The situation presented here, coupled with the sense of sadness, prompts many reflections on how considerations of living income and living wages should incorporate climate change, environmental disasters, and their impacts on people's lives, particularly those in the most vulnerable social situations. Living wages and incomes are potent tools, as they can address vulnerabilities not only in response to disasters but also in terms of prevention. Moreover, these concepts can serve as guiding principles for robust responses that provide affected families with decent living conditions and locally adequate purchasing power.

Living wages and incomes are potent tools, as they can address vulnerabilities not only in response to disasters but also in terms of prevention.

For more information about our research in Brazil, contact ARI’s Senior researcher: Ian Prates, iprates@sai.org.br and Senior Data Analyst Carmelita Veneroso cveneroso@ankerinstitute.org

For general inquiries about the Anker Research Institute’s work, contact: inquiries@ankerinstitute.org

Views expressed are the authors. The opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and may or may not reflect the views of Anker Research Institute.