A warming world combined with deforestation has made for a dire drought situation in Brazil. Latin America's largest country is enduring its most intense and widespread drought in history.
What's happening?
Brazil's worst drought on record has helped fuel wildfires in the Amazon rainforest. The Pantanal, a region that encompasses the world's largest tropical wetland area, in August experienced a 3,901% increase in its fires compared to August 2023, Greenpeace noted, based on reporting by the country's National Institute for Space Research.
Smoke from wildfires made Sāo Paulo, one of the world's most populous cities with over 11 million residents and a metro area of 21 million, one of the top 10 most polluted major cities in the world in early September. According to Igarapé Institute authorities, over 50,000 wildfires were active in early September, per ABC News.
One of the factors behind Brazil's crisis is an overheating planet that just had its 15th straight month of record-breaking global temperatures. Deforestation in the Cerrado region, an expansive tropical and subtropical biome that covers over 20% of the country, is making matters worse. Trees help hold moisture in forest soil. A study published in Nature showed a direct link between deforestation and droughts.
Brazil relies on cascading moisture recycling for rainfall. CMR "describes moisture transport between two locations on the continent that involves re-evaporation cycles along the way," according to a paper published by the European Geosciences Union. This hydrological cycle is breaking down because of deforestation.
"You can put this in capital letters," said Luciana Gatti, a climate researcher at the space research facility, per The Washington Post. "It will get worse and worse. We are heading toward an apocalyptical situation, and unfortunately we only wake up at the last minute."
Why is an intense drought in Brazil important?
While several factors can cause droughts, studies have shown that as our world warms, droughts become more frequent, longer, and more intense. Likewise, wildfires such as the ones in Brazil this year are impacted by an overheating planet. As our climate gets warmer, wildfire seasons are becoming longer and more intense.
What's being done about extreme drought?
New technology is helping to detect and respond to catastrophic wildfires sooner. In Spain, officials are utilizing 1,000-year-old technology to cope with a historic drought.
Replacing dirty energy sources with clean, technologically advanced, renewable energy sources can help cool our planet. We can all help by installing solar panels, choosing an electric vehicle for our next automobile purchase, and trading old HVAC systems for heat pumps.
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