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Favelas in Rio de Janeiro: Used tires protect against mud slides
Summary:
The following case study is featured in the Meister Consultants Group study: *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World*.
The rain forest in Brazil is a unique ecosystem that is particularly threatened by the impacts of climate change. In the worst case scenario, huge parts of the Amazon River basin could transform into a savannah. This would have dramatic consequences both for the worldwide climate, as well as the local population whose livelihood depends on the rain forest. Like many other Latin American countries, Brazil has not fully confronted what is entailed in adapting to climate change. However, this is gradually changing. For instance, the Brazilian climate change plan published in December 2008 covers adaptation. Based on more accurate regional climate models that are expected to be published in 2009, the government intends to prepare detailed adaptation measures.
_Source: Dr. Hans-Peter Meister, I. K., Martina Richwein, Wilson Rickerson, Chad Laurent. Additional contributors: Jeff Snell, Elisa Burchert, Florian Lux. (2009). *Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World.* Boston: Meister Consultants Group. p. 21._
For more detailed information and references refer to: [Floating Houses - Full Report](http://files.mc-group.com/clst/Study%20Climate%20Change%20Adaption.pdf).
[Meister Consultants Group](http://www.mc-group.com/)
Adaptation Experience:
The slums (favelas) of Rio de Janeiro mainly consist of provisional housing built along the steep hillsides of the city. Forest clearing and excessive building activities have increased the frequency of erosion and mud slides. These housing developments experience massive structural damages, casualties, and fatalities during the rainy season. Extreme weather events will certainly increase these threats.
Given this challenge and the lack of available funding, a team of researchers from Canada and Brazil developed plans for building holding walls made of used tires. These walls are up to six meters high, and are one-third cheaper than walls made of concrete. In addition, these tire walls have the potential to actually be more effective in stopping huge mud slides.
Using tires to build retaining walls has the additional benefit of solving the city’s tire disposal problems. In Rio de Janeiro alone three million tires are disposed every year, with many dumped illegally or burned.
The project is supported by employees of the University of Ottawa (Canada) and the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.
Source: UNFCCC Database on local coping strategies for adaptation: http://maindb.unfccc.int/public/adaptation/ Stopping Landslides in Rio: Recycling Scrap Tires into Retaining Walls: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-5145-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html#Dr
Results and Learning:
Information not available yet.
Sustainability:
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