Brazil seeking funds to manage climate change and natural disasters

This week, severe rains in the Northeastern city of Salvador caused around 300 people to be displaced as rivers burst their banks, homes were flooded and 114 landslides were recorded by municipal police forces. In the Southeast, Rio de Janeiro is battered by torrential rain and mudslides on an annual basis, often claiming lives in the process. Authorities have been criticized for not working hard enough to minimize the effects of these disasters (which many attribute to climate change), while the scientific community is seeking funding to further its ability to monitor the country’s territory and help combat such tragedies.

The following article was originally written by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). 

Brazil and 13 other Latin American countries that have already adopted the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) are now preparing to follow United Nations recommendations and comply with the Global Geodetic Reference Frame. The platform involves the measurement of the Earth, based on its position in space, gravitational field and shape, which is fundamental information for the management of climate change and natural disasters.

In order to meet the UN proposal, the international geoscience and geodesy community is trying to drum up funds by raising the awareness of governments and multilateral organizations. “The United Nations resolution opened the possibility of alerting governments that geodesy is a state concern, strategic to the governance of a country. The governments must provide economic support so that an agency...