October 8, 2023

Drought in Brazil’s Amazon is sharpening fears for the future

 AP News -  Eight Brazilian states recorded the lowest rainfall in the period from July to September in over 40 years, according to CEMADEN, Brazil’s disaster warning center. The drought has affected most of the main rivers in the Amazon, the world’s largest basin, which accounts for 20% of the planet’s fresh water.  Communities dependent on the Amazon rainforest’s waterways are stranded without a supply of fuel, food, or filtered water. Dozens of riv er dolphins perished and washed up on shore. And thousands of lifeless fish float on the water’s surface. These are just the first grim visions of extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon. The historically low water levels have affected hundreds of thousands of people and wildlife and, with experts predicting the drought could last until early 2024, the problems stand to intensify.

 

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