The largest river in the world is facing severe drought.
In any crisis, knowing the facts is key, as it encourages people to enact change.
Every day, we witness the growing effects of climate change. Whether we read it on the news or experience it ourselves, global warming is no longer a distant concept. Climate change is rapidly becoming a reality.
Drought Affects Tri-Border Area
The Amazon is the world’s largest river, stretching through Peru, Colombia and Brazil. These developing nations rely on the river for the transportation of goods. Different communities use the waterway to ferry medicine, food and people.
Due to global warming impacts, however, these countries are experiencing a severe decrease in rainfall. Brazil, in particular, is noticeably facing the effects of drought:
“The river was 25 feet below the average for this time of year”
New York Times
Where do we go from here?
Finding a solution is imperative since not only local communities but wildlife as well depend on the Amazon River.
Dredging–digging the riverbed to deepen the river–offers one possible solution. This option is not particularly sustainable; if done incorrectly, it can be extremely harmful to wildlife by damaging ecosystems and disrupting habitats
The dredging of the Amazon River is expected to begin in October 2024.
“Scientists cautioned that dredging could stir up mercury deposits on the river bottom, which could effectively poison the water — and seriously harm the surrounding ecosystem.”
Semafor
The Reality of Facing Climate Change
The countries with the lowest rates of energy consumption face the harshest effects of the climate crisis.
Global nations and large companies play a major role in the rising rate of global warming. As they make sustainability efforts, there is hope to see significant change.
Individual action causes significant change as well.
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
John F. Kennedy
If everyone in the world recycled properly, switched to renewable energy sources such as solar power, remembered to turn off their lights and used energy sparingly, the environment might improve drastically.
Consider how you can live a sustainable life. Simple actions, like using reusable bags instead of plastic or turning off the lights once you leave a room, make a difference.
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