Overview
Climate change is casting heavy trolls on people and wildlife all across the globe. Our defenses against global warming have been subjected to a whirlwind of crises, with increasing temperatures contributing to the burning of trees and the drying of rivers in the forests. Among these crises, the Amazon Forest has been depicting a grim picture of the consequences of the climate crisis.
The Brazilian Geological Service (SGB) reports that water levels in many of the rivers in the Amazon basin have reached their lowest on record amid a continuing drought. Brazil’s natural disaster monitoring agency, Cemaden, has referred to the current drought as the “most intense and widespread” it has ever recorded. Additionally, in 2023, the Amazon basin suffered its most severe drought in at least 45 years, which scientists at the World Weather Attribution Group found had been made many times more likely by climate change.
Distinct Features of Amazon Forest
The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, extending over 5.5 million square kilometers (approximately 2.1 million square miles) across nine countries, namely Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and about the overseas territory of French Guiana. This is commensurate with about two-thirds the size of the US. It encompasses the Amazon River basin, which is the largest river basin globally, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes Mountains. This amounts to 40% of South America.
Additionally, it is referred to as the world’s richest biological reservoir, hosting around 390 billion individual trees and an estimated 40,000 plant species. With approximately 1,300 bird species, 430 mammal species, and 3,000 fish species, it is one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. Additionally, the Amazon holds a significant place in global carbon sequestration, absorbing considerable quantities of carbon dioxide and producing about 20% of the world’s oxygen. The dense vegetation helps regulate local and regional climate through hydrological cycles, influencing rainfall patterns far beyond its borders.
Causes of Drought in the Amazon Forest
Between 2020 and mid-2023, Brazil was under the influence of La Niña which led to increased rainfall in the Amazon. However, the region is now experiencing El Nino which refers to warmer Pacific waters that alter the wind. It also contributes to drought conditions, which are way worse than seasonal changes. This year’s El Nino has been building up and is contributing to drought. The intense dry winds powered by incredibly hot temperatures have been a driving factor that fueled the fire.
Consequently, water in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is becoming warmer due to drier global weather patterns. This must be attributed to the widespread clearing of forests in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, which has resulted in an average loss of 30% of forest cover, disrupting local rainfall patterns. As the trees are cut down, their ability to contribute towards rainfall has been reduced, thus triggering an immense drought in the Amazon.
Moreover, political factors and loopholes in ecosystem governance are icing on the cake. For instance, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office this year, he promised to protect the Amazon rainforest. According to reports, deforestation in the Amazon has dropped three times lower in the first nine months of 2023 than it was in the same period last year when Jair Bolsonaro was in charge of the government. Bolsonaro’s government encouraged the exploitation of the forest’s resources.
Additionally, despite positive trends in 2023, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported that there were over 65,000 fire hotspots in Brazil by the end of August 2024, which is a 104% increase from the same period in 2023. This was the highest number of fire hotspots recorded in the Amazon since 2005. Moreover, data from MapBiomas reveal that over five million acres were burned in the Brazilian Amazon in August alone. This year, the total burned area amounts to 13.4 million acres—an area larger than entire countries like Costa Rica or Denmark.
Consequences of Drought in the Amazon
The drought in the Amazon Forest has reached an unprecedented level while ringing alarm bells. According to estimates, the Madeira River, a major tributary to the Amazon, had fallen to just 48 cm in the city of Porto Velho on Tuesday, down from an average of 3.32 cm for this day. Additionally, as of October 2024, the Solimoes River reached its lowest recorded level at 3 meters (approximately 9.8 feet). The water level of the Rio Negro River is reportedly receding at 7 inches a day.
The local wildlife has suffered greatly as the Amazon is experiencing a dire drought. The Mamiraua Institute reports that as of October 27, 2023, 178 freshwater dolphins, mostly botos and tucuxis, had died in lakes Tefe and Coari, Amazon state. In these lakes, the water temperature has risen to a scary 40.9°C or about 105.6°F. Furthermore, the drought has wreaked havoc on the regional political economy of Amazon.
For instance, many communities in the Amazon rely on rivers as their transportation routes. As the water levels are falling, it has become much harder for people to travel to obtain basic items like food and medicine. Residents often have to walk long distances over dry riverbeds to reach nearby towns, finding it difficult to carry groceries and supplies. Apart from these issues, grain exports have also been interrupted, forcing transportation through southeastern Brazil rather than using the more direct and cheaper waterways of the northern region.
What Needs to be Done?
Countries sharing the Amazon basin should work together and create policies to ensure sustainable development while preventing deforestation. Cooperative agreements enhance resource sharing and strengthen conservation efforts across national borders. In addition, efforts are pre-requisite to enforce laws against illegal logging and to support sustainable land use practices.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should also engage in the preservation of our earth. To achieve this, the UNEP needs to establish the Global Biodiversity Fund. This fund shall be an essential source of funding for countries that are unable to protect their natural habitats, such as Brazil, including unique species threatened by human activities.
UNEP should also develop a global biodiversity monitoring system, which must record the progress in areas where improvement is needed. UNEP can facilitate building capacity for effective biodiversity conservation in biodiverse countries, especially Brazil and Indonesia, by the provision of technical assistance to such countries.
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Qirat Mirza is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in international relations from International Islamic University Islamabad. She is also a writer for Modern Diplomacy, International Affairs Forum, Pakistan Today, KIIR, CISS AJK, and Pak Observer. Recently, she completed a six-week internship at the Kashmir Institute of International Relations and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) to foster her academic insights and gain practical experience.