EVENTOS CLIMÁTICOS EXTREMOS E SEUS IMPACTOS SOCIOESPACIAIS EM CIDADES PEQUENAS DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL - BRASIL

Abstract

The article analyzes the socio-environmental impacts of extreme weather events that occurred in 2024 in Rio Grande do Sul, with a focus on small towns in the Vale do Rio Pardo and Vale do Taquari regions. It presents a chronology of these events, which resulted in floods, flash floods, and landslides. Several roads were blocked, and bridges were swept away by the force of the water throughout the state; in the Vales region alone, approximately 43,600 buildings were affected. These impacts revealed the fragility of infrastructure and the inadequacy of land use planning policies. The article emphasizes the importance of integrating planning policies and instruments across different spatial scales (municipalities and river basins) and highlights the need for institutional support from state and federal governments for the small towns featured in this scenario, many of which remain on the margins of urban policies, especially in the face of climate change.