At the end of October, violent floods occurred in the Valencia region of
Spain. Weather phenomena are increasingly recurrent all over the worldand the consequences are dramatic: deaths, missing people, destruction
of infrastructure, etc. Even if these events cannot be avoided, the
consequences vary depending on the measures taken by the public
authorities to protect the population. Faced with the vulnerability of
cities, decision-makers in Valencia have clearly not made the right
choices and are responsible for the difficult situation in which
thousands of residents find themselves today.
On October 29, violent rains hit the Valencia region of Spain: in three
hours, it rained as much as in three months in the territory affected by
drought. The weather event that took place in the territory is called
DANA (Spanish acronym for Depresion Aislada en Niveles Alto, isolated
depression at high level in French) or, more commonly, "cold drop". The
situation quickly turned into a flood. If we quickly explain the
phenomenon, it is an atmospheric instability caused by the meeting
between a pocket of cold air and warm air rising from the Mediterranean
and causing heavy rains. While this storm only formed a few times a year
fifty years ago, its frequency is becoming more regular with the
increase in the surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea which
causes the constant evaporation of warm water into the atmosphere.
This tragic event caused the death of more than two hundred and twenty
people and around eighty missing. Municipalities were deprived of
electricity and drinking water or even telephone antennas. Many
businesses and homes were destroyed by the floods. There is also an
urgent need to clean the streets of mud that carries germs and bacteria
that can quickly spread diseases among a population already traumatized
by the events. As we know, global warming increases the intensity of
violent weather events and also increases their frequency.
Murderous capitalism, complicit public authorities
This process of warming is directly linked to human activities, in
particular fossil fuel extraction projects, which release molecules of
CO2, methane and nitrogen oxides. In order to survive, capitalism will
always seek to exploit the earth, to extract its resources in order to
increase production disproportionately, which leads to global warming.
All this is done for the sole interests of the capitalist bourgeois
class. The other side of the coin is a violent climate disruption
suffered by the proletarian class.
The importance of the situation was underestimated by Carlos Mazón, head
of the government of the Valencian Community. In the end, is it really
surprising when we know that he represents the coalition between the
right (Popular Party) and the far right (Vox), where there are
climate-sceptic undertones? Ignoring the dangers of the situation, he
tweeted that the situation was under control. However, for the State
Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the warning signs were already there
since it had already triggered the red alert in the region on Tuesday
morning.
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Graffiti on the facade of a Consum supermarket, in reference to the five
workers who died at work during the floods
P4K1T0
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Finally, the local authorities gave the alert to the population in the
evening, while areas were already flooded. Conservatism kills since the
Generalitat of Valencia ignored the calls of the Spanish government (led
by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) to launch emergency aid
procedures (Military Emergency Unit, Civil Guard, Valencian Rescue
Services, etc.). In hindsight, the situation is not surprising since
Carlos Mazón had already abolished the Valencian Emergency Unit set up
by the previous government (reformist left), when it had been created
precisely to intervene in extreme weather situations.
So people went to work despite the obvious risk. We know this, but for
the bosses, profits are worth more than the lives of workers. So, they
did not think it was a good idea to encourage employees to stay safe.
Photos circulated of warehouse roofs collapsing in the rain, of Ikea
employees who had to spend the night at their workplace, of delivery men
who were pulled out of their trucks at the last minute...
The floods were predictable, but their effects could have been lessened
if political choices had taken into account the vulnerability of the
region when planning its development. In addition to being located on
the coast, Valencia is the third largest city in the country, with more
than 800,000 inhabitants. The city's urbanization maps have been relayed
by several media outlets, and for good reason, it is clear that it
extends over hectares of previously agricultural land. By nibbling away
at the land to concrete it (artificialize), water infiltrates more
difficultly into the soils that have become impermeable, which can only
increase the risks of flooding during torrential rains and floods of the
Jucar and Magro rivers. But that's not all!
The unconsciousness of politicians has allowed the validation of housing
constructions in areas declared flood-prone since 2003. Ironically,
Valencia was awarded the title of European Green Capital in 2024 for its
many parks, cycle paths and electric buses. This label once again shows
the hypocrisy of neoliberal Europe for which ecology rhymes with
greenwashing and facade environmental policies. It is indeed the
destruction of nearly 9,000 hectares of orchards that has made the city
so vulnerable to flooding.
Class solidarity more vital than ever
Faced with the institutional slowness that was slow to react and the
lack of rescuers, it was the residents who had to take charge of the
situation. Forced to manage to remove the mud, evacuate the water, and
without access to basic needs, the local police were busy arresting, for
looting, those who took from the supermarkets what they needed to live
in this situation. Institutions are always there to protect private
interests in all circumstances and the Spanish know that this murderous
behavior is responsible for the situation. In Paiporta, while the royal
couple was visiting the victims, they were greeted by mud jets. Several
tens of thousands of people demonstrated their anger, demanding the
resignation of Carlos Mazón and Pedro Sánchez who, in the name of
political opposition, sacrificed the lives of hundreds of people in the
region by delaying necessary interventions.
This year alone, in Burundi, around 200,000 people were affected by
floods and 100,000 were forced to relocate. In Brazil, in April, the
media reported the worst floods the country has seen in eighty years. In
Southeast Asia, Typhoon Yagi affected 6 million children. The effects of
climate change are already being felt in many regions of the world and
must alert us collectively. It is Western states that are pushing for
productivism and extractivism, which worsens living conditions by making
them more vulnerable to major climate variations. Fortress Europe
plunders the resources and destroys the lands of the states of the
"Global South" for its capitalist interests while closing its borders to
ignore the consequences of its murderous policies. The break with
capitalism must be clear, solidarity must be international: let's build
a decolonial ecology!
Elsa (UCL Grenoble)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Inondations-en-Espagne-Les-catastrophes-du-capitalism
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