The sea was coming closer, it was so painful to see my house being destroyed – This is climate breakdown

When we built the house in 1978 we couldn’t see the sea. We never imagined that one day it would reach us. This is Sônia’s story

Location Atafona, Brazil

Disaster Rio de Janeiro coastal erosion, 2019 -23

Born in Campos dos Goytacazes, Sônia Ferreira spent her childhood vacations in the seaside town of Atafona. After she and her husband married, they built a summer house there and in the late 1990s, she moved there permanently. Now 79, retired and widowed, Sônia still lives in Atafona with her daughter, where coastal erosion has caused the destruction of 500 houses in recent decades. More are at risk, with the sea expected to push further inland by up to 150 metres in the next 30 years.

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