Scientists sound alarm about unprecedented conditions in the Amazon: 'Should be taken seriously'

Many places across the globe are experiencing drought-like conditions, some more severe than others, and the Amazon experienced one of the most severe. According to Mongabay, a UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center report showed that the drought of 2023-2024 is having detrimental effects on the Amazon Basin and harming the Amazonian people. 

What's happening?

The residents of the community faced drinking water shortages, wildfires, impeded transportation, and aquatic wildlife deaths. It left the Indigenous people cut off because they depended on the waterways for transportation. The consequences were negative health impacts and food insecurity.

In 2023, 8.1 million acres of the Amazon's surface water in Brazil were lost. Nine Amazonian countries experienced the lowest rainfall in 40 years, accompanied by extreme heat. Scientists blame El Niño and rising temperatures for the severe drought.

Additionally, researchers believe a mass fish die-off in the Amazon River was also due to the drought. About 22-33 tons of talking catfish, red-bellied pacu, and pirarucu died. The dead fish also contaminated the water.

Dead fish were spotted in a waterway that connects with the Amazon River, called the Aramanaí Channel. This waterway is home to hundreds of families who rely on it for fishing. 

Why is the Amazon's drought concerning?

UNCCD program officer and drought expert Daniel Tsegai said, "We are witnessing droughts that are more widespread, more frequent and more intense."

He added, "The fact that not even rainforests are spared from this emerging trend is of great concern and should be taken seriously to prevent human suffering, ecosystem destruction, and economic loss."

Tech investor and journalist Molly Wood explained that extreme weather events such as droughts and heat waves were already going to happen, but the warmer temperatures are intensifying them. The warming temperatures are like "steroids for weather."

Additionally, droughts can also have a detrimental effect on crops, as is the case in Ethiopia, which has had five consecutive droughts during the rainy season. The residents of the country rely on livestock and crops for food. Food prices have increased, making it difficult for people to afford them. 

What's being done about droughts?

Scientists are exploring one way to help more plants survive droughts. Japan's RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science found that soaking plants in ethanol helped the plants withstand drought-like conditions.

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The researchers had two groups of plants: one treated with ethanol and the other with just water. After two weeks of no water, they watered the plants, and 75% of the ethanol-treated plants survived. Only 5% of the other plants did. Ethanol closes the pores on the plants, which helps them retain moisture.

It doesn't solve water shortages or economic losses, but it could help wildlife.

According to Mongabay, "Tsegai said solutions to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to drought must be tailored to local contexts and undertaken as part of a government-wide and society-wide approach to build resilience."

Solving droughts and their consequences is a complex problem, which is why it is vital to explore critical climate issues to better understand how to combat them.

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