Only since the late 1980s the environmental issue has become a global concern. Certainly, nowadays any citizen takes notice of environmental problems.  In Beijing, air pollution requires changes. In California, severe drought calls for measures such as water rationing. In New York, efforts are made to adapt city life to climate changes and to recover from the impacts of hurricane Sandy.

What about Brazil? The population in the northeastern region suffers the effects of prolonged drought, relying on water distribution by tanker trucks. In São Paulo, in addition to unbearable heat, water rationing has been implemented in some regions in the metropolitan area. So far, no news.  But the reflection I make concerns whether we have actually reached a point in which we understand our own vulnerability regarding the environment.

Less than a decade ago, we faced a severe blackout, which required society to significantly reduce power consumption and obtained extremely positive results.  It is a fact that these efforts have faded with time, due to lack of guidance by the public power.  

We must take advantage of these crises to demand an effective fight against wastefulness.  Efficient equipment and appliances, architecture and engineering that promote water reuse.  We need to create a mentality that reducing our vulnerabilities – which become evident during water and power crises in Brazil – depends on an extreme shift in the way we enjoy our natural resources.

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This coming Tuesday, April 29, consultant Fábio Feldmann will take part in Inhotim Escola and talk to the public about more sustainable lifestyles.