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HotSpots H2O: Years-Long Drought Pushes Brazil to the Brink

Circle of Blue

Scientists attribute the drought’s severity to climate change, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, and the La Niña weather pattern. After a decade of dry conditions, a drought in Brazil is straining the country’s economy, energy systems, and environment. Reservoirs are dwindling, causing major deficits in hydroelectric power.

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Planes Sampling Air Above the Amazon Find the Rainforest is Releasing More Carbon Than it Stores

Inside Climate News

The study, which found greater depletion of carbon storage in the heavily deforested eastern Amazon, confirmed previous research that used satellites or hands-on measuring techniques.

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Climate Change Is Intensifying the Water Cycle, New IPCC Report Finds

Circle of Blue

This trend will continue as glacial melting, decreased rainfall, and a “thirstier” atmosphere jeopardize sources of freshwater in some parts of the globe. It finds more evidence that severe weather events are linked to carbon in the atmosphere and are becoming more extreme. Heavy rainfall will also become more common and more powerful.

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The hidden effects of deforestation on our planet and 3 other fascinating Frontiers articles you may have missed

Frontiers

The Unseen Effects of Deforestation: Biophysical Effects on Climate. It finds that, together, forests keep the planet at least half of a degree Celsius cooler when we account for the understudied biophysical effects – from chemical compounds to turbulence and the reflection of light.

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Explainer: Why does chocolate have a high carbon footprint?

A Greener Life

We can damage the stability of the atmosphere on both sides of the equation – by emitting too many greenhouse gases, or by reducing the earth’s CO2-absorbing capacity (for example, by chopping down rainforests). Look out for Fairtrade chocolate, Rainforest Alliance certification, or better yet, smallholder-owned brands such as Divine.

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The alliance of carbon-negative countries

A Greener Life

On side B we all have all the carbon removed from the atmosphere by forests, soil and wetlands. Suriname is 93% rainforest. Deforestation is an ongoing problem, so it is unlikely that Madagascar will be carbon negative for long. All three countries have relatively modest emissions and extensive areas of forestry for their size.

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Environmental activism in Latin America

Our Environment

South America is home to the largest biodiverse rainforests on Earth. This is equivalent to a rainforest the size of the United Kingdom [3]. Replacing these massive carbon sink forests with machinery which continuously pumps vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere is increasing the rate of global warming.