Amazon Rainforest Drought: Environmental and Economic Implications in South America

2023-12-27 04:53:45
2023-12-27 12:53 United News Network 24 Hours Around the Corner This year, the El Niño phenomenon in the Eastern Pacific has strongly affected the Americas. The Amazon River Basin has suffered a century-old drought and the water level has dropped to a new low. Pictured is a…

“You can only enter and leave the village by walking along the riverbed, but you will encounter crocodiles and snakes…” The Amazon rainforest experienced the hottest and driest year in history in 2023. Catalyzed by the super El Niño phenomenon and extreme climate, the water level of the Amazon River reached At a new low, villages that rely on water transportation are facing isolation and livelihood disruption, and residents’ drinking water health is also in crisis; in addition to the death of a large number of animals and plants, continued development and deforestation have also caused the Amazon rainforest, the “lungs of the earth,” to gradually lose its carbon storage function; the drought crisis is also As a result, the Panama Canal issued a “navigation restriction order” for the first time in history to reduce vessel traffic. It is expected that there will be some relief in early January.

This year 2023 coincides with the Eastern Pacific El Nino. The El Nino phenomenon has caused dry and hot weather along the Pacific coast of the Americas. Coupled with the extreme phenomena of climate change, the Amazon rainforest was supposed to welcome the El Nino in October. It is the rainy season, but until the end of November it is still enveloped by thick, high-temperature hot air, and some areas even have no precipitation for two to three months. The “BBC” reporter followed villager Oliveira Tikuna to the village located upstream of the Solimões river, and was surprised to find that the width of the river was less than 1 meter. “I’m 49 years old, we’ve never seen anything like this, we’ve never had a drought this bad,” Tikuna said.

The Amazon River, the world’s largest river basin, is also facing its most serious crisis in a century. The Rio Negro in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state in Brazil, was measured at only 13.59 meters in mid-October, compared with 17.6 meters last year. The drop was as high as 4 meters, breaking the lowest water level in 121 years. record. Lake Tefé, not far southwest of Manaus, also suffered a mass death of hundreds of endangered animals “Amazonian river dolphins” in October. At that time, the water temperature of the river was as high as 39 degrees Celsius, and a large number of fish and Animals in the water are suspected to have died from the heat.

The Amazon is experiencing severe drought, and the rainy season has not yet arrived at the end of November. The gray area in the picture was originally a river bed, but now many tributaries are only thin…

▌Transportation and livelihood in floating villages are hindered

The drying up of the river and the high temperature hit the hundreds of thousands of village residents living along the river first. Most villagers rely on the Amazon River for drinking water, food, transportation and economic resources. Food hygiene and health are the first to bear the brunt. Due to low water levels and mass death of organisms, drinking river water may cause diarrhea and more serious infectious diseases. Paula Lima, a 43-year-old resident, must carry 50 liters of water from her neighbor’s well every day to barely meet her family’s daily needs.

For villagers further upstream, daily actions are comparable to challenges. People in the Amazon basin are highly dependent on water transportation, and are accustomed to using small boats to enter and exit and transport supplies. Many villages even adopt the architectural style of stilt houses. However, following the water level dropped significantly, the original lifestyle that was adapted to local conditions became an obstacle, and daily medical treatment was It’s also almost impossible. Villager Tikuna said that because boats cannot be launched into the water, the only way to get in and out now is to take a long way to the other side of the village. Otherwise, you can walk directly across the river bed, but you may also face attacks from dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles.

In addition, drought has also led to more frequent wildfires. Local farmers would have set fires to clear farmland, but this year they often turned into fires. There were 2,900 fires in the entire state of Amazonas in October alone, breaking the previous record. The haze caused by the fires often led to poor traffic visibility and endangered the health of residents.

The water level in the Amazon River is too low, not only for boat transportation, but also for people to carry clean drinking water on their backs. Photo / Archyde.com In addition to the drought’s impact on residents’ livelihoods, hundreds of millions of plants and animals are facing death crises. The picture shows a scene of the Amazon River, dry…

▌Biological catastrophe in tropical rainforests

In addition to the suffering of human residents, the vast ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest is also suffering. Paula Lima, a biologist at the National Institute for Amazonian Research, who has been studying rainforest ecology in Manaus for 26 years, also pointed out that this is the worst drought she has ever seen and has caused insecurity in the rainforest. Fewer plants die.

But Costa said it was too early to assess the damage. But she also mentioned that this year’s drought may be more severe than the super-strong Year of the Holy Child from 2015 to 2016. This year is regarded as the most serious year for the El Niño phenomenon in half a century. It directly caused the death of 2.5 billion plants in the Amazon rainforest. Because of this devastating phenomenon like the passage of a monster, it is called the “Godzilla drought” ( Godzilla drought).

In addition to the El Niño phenomenon, the Amazon, considered the lungs of the earth, has also faced a “deforestation” crisis in recent years. A large number of illegal loggers, miners, and livestock farmers have deforestation and burning. More than 17% of the rainforest has been destroyed. It is developed into cultivated land, factory and other construction land, and its function of digesting greenhouse gases is also continuously lost. Costa said that the Amazon rainforest “already lost its carbon sink function” in 2015, and “we can almost expect the same situation” this year.

▌The Panama Canal’s first navigation restriction order

Drought in the Americas has also impacted the global economy. The Panama Canal (Panama Canal) located in the Central American Isthmus has encountered the worst drought in 70 years this year. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) issued the first “navigation restriction order” in history at the end of October due to the low water storage capacity in the canal. , the number of ships that can pass every day has been continuously reduced from an average of 35 ships. As of December 27, it has dropped to only 22 ships a day.

Fortunately, following the precipitation has improved slightly in recent days, the ACP authorities announced last week that 24 ships will be allowed to pass through the canal every day starting from January. The Panama Canal is an important gateway connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. An average of 13,000 to 14,000 ships pass through it every year, accounting for 3% of global trade.

The Brazilian Amazon is suffering from a severe drought. The only good news may be that the water level of the river has dropped, and the Ponta da…

Text/Wang Yingzhi

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