During #Brazil’s worst #drought, #wildfires rage and the #AmazonRiver falls to a record low
By FABIANO MAISONNAVE
Updated 2:47 PM EDT, September 10, 2024
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — "Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S.
"Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows, and uncontrolled manmade wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, plummeting air quality.
"'This is the first time that a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country’s Southeast,' Ana Paula Cunha, a researcher at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, said in a statement Thursday. 'It is the most intense and widespread drought in history.'
"Smoke on Monday afternoon caused #SaoPaulo, a metropolitan area of 21 million people, to breathe the second most #PollutedAir in the world after #LahorePakistan, according to data gathered by #IQAir, a Swiss air technology company.
"About 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) to the north, a wildfire is sweeping through #ChapadaDosVeadeiros National Park, one of Brazil’s most famous tourism sites.
"'This year, the dry season started much earlier than in previous years, whereas the rain season was intense yet short,' Nayara Stacheski, head of the park, told The Associated Press. 'The wind is strong, the air humidity is very low and it’s extremely hot. All this worsens the wildfire.'"
#ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #Rainforests #Extremeweather #BrazilWx #ExtremeWx #ExtremeDrought
