"We have access to the internet and a lot of information, but brutally as never before, to disinformation", begins the journalist and art historian Anatxu Zabalbeascoa during an interview with La Voz. "We are more manipulable than ever precisely because of all this amount of information", she continues on the other end of the phone.
With more than 30 years of experience linked to one of the leading media outlets in Spain, El País, she writes about architecture and design and reflects on the evolution of society and its way of relating to the environment. She is also the author of several books. As part of her work, Zabalbeascoa gave a lecture last Thursday at the César Manrique Foundation, entitled Reconquest and renaturalization of public space.
"It seems that we are more connected and we are more disconnected than ever, because we revolve around ourselves and it is quite dangerous", she warns. The floods in Valencia after the passage of a DANA have left different analyses on the table: political management, the power of hoaxes, the consequences of climate change and the question of how to prepare to face it better.
Regarding the floods in Valencia, the information that is being given by the minute about what is happening is being given from almost opposite points of view. We have the information, but not the legitimacy of the sources, not the people or entities that are responsible for that information", explains the journalist.
"Sometimes the dissemination of a hoax is much faster than the information. It impresses more, because the truth is complex and the lie, being effective, arrives", continues Anatxu Zabalbeascoa.
Hoaxes, social networks and polarization
The fight to mitigate the effects of climate change is confronted with a radicalized society in which denialist positions and conspiracy theories are growing. For the writer as well, the polarization of society "makes us miss half of the things." And she invites us to try to know the position of the other person, even if it is a bet. "I may think Trump is what he seems to me, but I am going to listen to what he proposes, to observe what he does, to pay attention to the consequences and try to understand why they vote for him", she exemplifies. "We see how farmers vote for climate change deniers. A profile like Trump's hides behind many policies against the fight against climate change. Everything goes beyond the easy discourse, the four slogans that lead them to be elected as president."
In the layout of a new way of living with nature, Zabalbeascoa exposes the role of politics. "We have lost faith in politicians because before there were politicians with ideology and well trained and now I could not tell you how many have an ideology", she questions. At this point, she expresses the commitment of institutions to large works. "Large works are usually the easiest way for unclear businesses, large works or large needs and this is very hard", she reflects.
"We thought that the pandemic could be a school and what it has been is a mirror of the society in which we live. It is true what they say in Valencia, the people save the people, it is true that there is solidarity for many things, but as a journalist, you know that the news is always the exception."
To this is added the discredit towards the media. "It is time to criticize the press, which in many degrees has been an investment for the people who have wanted to."
Currently, one of the most frequent victims of fake news or the spread of hoaxes is usually science and the questioning of climate change. At this point, education and awareness play a fundamental role.
"The distinction in which we had been educated, between nature and city or countryside and city, is a mistake", explains Zabalbeascoa, who defends that "trees cannot be the opposite of cities". The current state of Spanish cities cannot be understood without a sociological look that goes a little further. "We live in a world in which the main thing is still that the economy works and the idea that the economy works is to continue producing and consuming", explains the journalist, "that is why the world is exploding through all the cracks. Nothing grows eternally."
"The thought is why am I not going to get rich, if others have already gotten rich? We could also talk about the fact that many people went bankrupt. If we thought globally about the consequences of the actions we would have a little more calm, which we all need", continues the art historian. "The rhythm we take, we do not let it impose and we could think things."
Rethinking cities
This expert invites us to rethink cities to make them more habitable and more comfortable for human beings. This renaturalization of cities involves "letting vegetation enter" and also "taking care of it. What is the point of planting trees that are not cared for due to lack of knowledge many times?", she continues. In addition to restructuring areas and preparing them for the risks of climate change and natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, floods or fires.
The Catalan journalist invites us to follow the example of nature that, as happened in the pandemic, is capable of reinventing itself and finding new ways to sprout. "We need knowledge and humility to want to know and rethink as a society what we can do."
Anatxu Zabalbeascoa explains that plans must be drawn up to relocate the population to safer areas after analyzing the risks of each place. "Politicians need to be good managers and not take this opportunity for something else. It must be agreed, dialogue, there are representatives and things are not imposed or given in a paternalistic way", she indicates. As an example, she explains that many of the parks in Barcelona have emerged as a result of neighborhood requests. "It is a work that is done little by little and that the communities do with the politicians", she adds.
For the editor, the renaturalization of cities is not "entering the green or painting things green", it is about bringing vegetation to the cities, "the appropriate vegetation". She exemplifies that in the case of Barcelona they used to focus on French urbanism and landscaping, but now with the current climate it does not work and they have had to use more tropical vegetation, "which needs less water precisely".
To conclude, Zabalbeascoa invites the population and institutions to drastically reduce the use of cars and opt for other means of transport. For this, it is necessary to commit to making cities walkable and habitable spaces, with shaded areas, with benches to rest. "I'm not saying it's immediate, but we have to work on it."
