Climate change has led to extreme weather patterns that are having a particularly strong impact on South America. The continent is at risk of a climate crisis, with deadly landslides in Brazil, wildfires in Argentina and flooding in the Amazon over the past month. This is reported Associated Press with reference to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The report notes that global warming has changed the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as El Niño and La Niña. This is the name of climatic phenomena that in turn heat and cool the surface layer of the water of the Pacific Ocean. Their too rapid and frequent change negatively affects the climate, as the heating and cooling of water temperatures affects changes in weather patterns around the world. In addition, El Niño and La Niña have become more difficult to predict, resulting in additional damage.
Climate change has hit South America hardest. The Parana River, which flows through three countries of the continent, is experiencing a drought – its waters are at their lowest level since 1944. In Brazil, due to heavy rains, landslides and floods began – in the city of Jordao, dozens of people were left homeless because of them.
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Forests play a vital role in stabilizing the climate on the continent and preventing rising temperatures. Brazilian climatologist Carlos Nobre noted that the Amazon rainforest stores between 150 and 200 billion tons of carbon. “If you lose the forest, then carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, will enter the atmosphere. Therefore, it is very important to save the forest,” Nobre said.
However, most governments in the region have not heeded these warnings – they are doing nothing to stop illegal logging and mining in vulnerable regions. In the issue of forest conservation, the continent is increasingly dependent on eco-activists who, through their actions, are trying to save the environment.
The IPCC report also notes that changes in precipitation and extreme temperatures are affecting agricultural production throughout Central and South America. Climatologists predict that climate change will begin to affect food security in rural areas, and similar natural disasters – droughts, rainstorms, fires – will shake the mainland further.
The biggest natural disaster in recent times on the continent was the rains in the Brazilian Petropolis. As a result of the strongest flood due to rains, 136 people died, of which 22 were minors. The rain was the heaviest in the city since 1932.
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