In August and September, huge portions of South America were shrouded in intense smoke from wildfires raging in the Amazon and other parts of Brazil a

South America Is Drying Up

submited by

Style Pass

2024-11-08 16:30:03

In August and September, huge portions of South America were shrouded in intense smoke from wildfires raging in the Amazon and other parts of Brazil and Bolivia. The Brazilian Pantanal—the world’s largest tropical wetland—had an almost eightfold increase in wildfires this year compared to 2023. From Manaus to São Paulo and Buenos Aires, the smoke, visible from space, blurred sunlight for weeks and posed a threat to the health of millions.

The occurrence raised alarms, but some experts warn that in the future, it might not be such an extraordinary episode. Nor was it an isolated incident over the past few years.

South America, according to a new study published in Communications Earth and Environment, is becoming drier, warmer, and more flammable. These conditions favor not only natural wildfires but also the uncontrolled spread of human-caused fire.

Even though general warming trends extend across the continent, some zones are enduring a steeper temperature rise than others. And this rise comes with more droughts and higher fire risk.