Humanity has never faced a challenge as great as the climate crisis. Still, many seem to have not yet understood the seriousness of the problem, warned Italian writer and neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso this Tuesday (9), during the inauguration of the Centro de Ciências e Culturas Sesc RJ (CCCS) and Galeria VÃO, in Rio de Janeiro. "The climate crisis is the most serious problem that humanity has ever faced in its entire history. It is not a passing crisis or a natural cycle that can be overcome. We are facing a real risk of extinction of our own species if we do not radically change our relationship with the planet", recalled the scientist. Related news: UNESCO highlights the contribution of its sites to the global environment. Plan seeks to strengthen the National Environmental System by 2036. Landless people plant 5 thousand seedlings during Environment Week. For Mancuso, humanity's obsession with seeing only itself and ignoring its dependence on the plant kingdom is one of the biggest threats to the planet's survival. "Living under a logic of human monoculture, as if we could exist isolated from other species and without directly depending on them, is a dangerous illusion that is leading us to collapse," said the scientist. Professor at the University of Florence, Mancuso is one of the world's leading references in plant neurobiology. His works are published in the country by Ubu Editora, which has the titles The Plant Revolution — winner of the Galileo Prize for scientific dissemination in 2018 —, The Incredible Journey of Plants, The Plant of the World, Nation of Plants and Fitópolis. Science x opinion Mancuso defended the role of academic knowledge in the face of global climate change and criticized denialists who relativize scientific data on global warming. "It is tremendously stupid to treat science as if it were just an opinion, especially when we are discussing the climate crisis. Science works with facts, evidence and consolidated data, not with subjective points of view that can be accepted or discarded according to each person's taste," he said. As a practical alternative to contain urban heating, the researcher defended urgent renaturalization measures, such as replacing asphalt with green alternatives. According to him, it is necessary to act quickly to remove impermeable coverings and en masse afforestation of cities. "We have to remove 20% of the cities' streets and asphalt to make room for plants. The municipal administrations that do this first will be the ones that will avoid millions of deaths and save colossal economic expenses. The others will be forced to do it ten years from now, under an emergency regime, spending ten times more and carrying on their conscience the deaths that could have been avoided", he concluded. Cities in the forest To illustrate that balanced coexistence between urbanization and nature is possible, the scientist cited ancient civilizations in the Amazon. "The ancient cities of the Amazon show us a fascinating path. They did not destroy the forest in order to exist: they were created within the forest itself, in intimate connection with it. It is historical proof that human beings are capable of designing habitable spaces that coexist with biodiversity, instead of annihilating it as we do in modern architecture," he said. As plants represent the majority of the planet's biomass, the neurobiologist maintains that human survival depends on the ability to understand plants not as passive resources, but as intelligent subjects. According to Mancuso's research, plants have decentralized and cooperative intelligence. Decision-making in the plant kingdom occurs distributed throughout the organism, mainly in its roots. This horizontal model is highlighted by the author as a lesson in collective organization for human societies in the face of contemporary crises. Path of the courts The Italian scientist also pointed out practical ways to force governments and large corporations to adopt a real green agenda, highlighting that purely discursive activism is not enough. "The courts today have a fundamental role in ensuring that changes happen. The legal route, through lawsuits against omissive governments and polluting companies, has proven to be one of the most efficient and realistic instruments we have to demand compliance with climate goals and the preservation of the environment", he argued. Exhibition During a visit to Rio de Janeiro, the writer inaugurated the first exhibition at Galeria VÃO, entitled "Revolucion das Plantas" in homage to one of his books. The exhibition brings together photographs, installations, paintings and prints by Brazilian artists, such as Luiz Zerbini, Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Ana Kemper, Beta Azevedo, Isa Muriá, Moara Tupinambá, Renata Padovan and Rosana Palazyan, who explore the intersections between nature and technology. Public visits are free and take place from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm. According to Moises Nascimento, coordinator of the CCCS, the new cultural corridor, neighboring institutions such as the CCBB and the Art Museums of Rio (MAR) and Tomorrow, seeks to bring society closer to scientific production through artistic sensitivity. “The gallery was born from the institutional desire to create a space that cultivates, in the same proportion, the mediation and dissemination of scientific knowledge, artistic enjoyment and critical reflection, threads sewn together from the dialogue between the Culture and Education programs at Sesc RJ, with the aim of thinking about contemporary worlds in which other worlds fit, as well as the different ways of inhabiting them”, he said.