Questão de Língua Inglesa

How climate change has altered Christmas By Isabelle Gerretsen, 2021 While Hollywood's representation of a white Christmas might be the northern hemisphere ideal, for many around the world the holiday is celebrated in very different weather. But, climate change is threatening both winter wonderlands and warmer Christmas traditions. In the Netherlands, where I grew up, a popular tradition around Christmas is to put on your skates and take to the frozen rivers. Young and old head onto the ice. Active skaters used to enter the Elfstedentocht, an iconic ice-skating race covering 200km that passes through 11 cities in the northern province Friesland. It's been 24 years since the last race happened. Climate change is endangering this beloved winter tradition. And it is not just cold-weather holiday traditions that are slowly disappearing. Around the world extreme weather caused by climate change and rising temperatures are altering beloved Christmas traditions. BBC Future speaks to three young people who share their Christmas stories. Mitzi Jonelle Tan, 22, the Philippines The Philippines has the earliest and longest Christmas season in the world. "We celebrate from 1 September until 6 January," says the 22-year-old climate activist from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is a colourful and creative time. People make their own Christmas decorations, including a star-shaped lantern, called a parol that they hang in windows and streets for the entire festive season. "On Christmas morning we always take photos in front of churches near where my mum grew up," she says. "My mum and grandpa also used to take pictures there." But in 50 years' time, this special place for the Jonelle Tan family could no longer exist due to rising sea levels. The Philippines is the world's most vulnerable country to disasters caused by climate change. It is hit on average by more than 20 typhoons each year, which cause severe flooding and large-scale destruction. Flooding already means that families can't put up their Christmas lights. In November last year, super typhoon Goni, the year's most powerful storm, hit the Philippines at 225km/h. "A few days before Christmas, we were still helping clean up the mud that had flooded the houses", says Tan. People brought food and gifts to the evacuation centres. "Christmas is a celebration of what we've suffered that year, together as a community". Salvador Gómez-Colón, 19, Puerto Rico Puerto Ricans love Christmas, says 19-year-old Salvador Gómez-Colón. "It is a spectacle. It's the biggest holiday in Puerto Rico". During the festive period, families head into the mountains around the capital San Juan to gather at food trucks, called chinchorros. There they eat suckling pig and cod fritters. "It's very communal, you meet your neighbours and talk to strangers", Gómez-Colón says. One of his favourite Christmas traditions is the parranda: carolling in the streets and outside people's houses. "We sing folklore songs with cymbals and drums". This tradition continued even during Puerto Rico's darkest days, after the country was hit by category 5 Hurricane Maria in 2017. It dropped more rain on Puerto Rico than any storm to hit the country since 1956. A storm of such power is five times more probable to hit now than in the 1950s due to climate change, a 2019 study found. "I've never felt as vulnerable in my entire life. I was [protecting myself] in a basement room with 10 others and lost communication with my dad and friends," he says. During the Christmas period, much of Puerto Rico was still in complete darkness. Despite the terrible situation, Puerto Ricans managed to celebrate Christmas that year. Daniel Holanda, 19, Brazil Christmas starts on 24 November when Brazilians decorate the tree. Several years ago, Holanda's family house flooded while they were celebrating this tradition. He celebrates Christmas in the city of Anápolis in Brazil's central state, Goiás. "Every year we get together on 24 December at my grandma's house. I have seven uncles and they each bring a dish for dinner," he says. "Christmas dinner is often candlelit as the flooding causes frequent power cuts at this time of year. We used to decorate the house with lights and play a lot of different games outside. Now we can't do it anymore", he says. Goiás is home to the Cerrado, a vast wooded savannah that contains thousands of rare species. Scientists have warned that this biodiversity place may collapse in less than 30 years if temperatures continue to rise and large agricultural businesses rapidly change forests into soy plantations. Besides flooding, the region has suffered from extreme drought in recent years. Wildfires are also a major problem there. Despite the challenges, people find a way to gather and return at Christmas time, he says. "On Christmas Eve, we give food to people in need, especially old people." Adapted from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211206-howclimate-change-has-altered-christmas. Accessed on March 05th, 2022.