Explaining Brazil #308: The climate crisis is here

The smoke-filled skies, wildfires, lack of rain, and scorching heat that have lingered for weeks offer a glimpse of what’s in store for Brazilian cities as climate change takes hold in the coming years.

Beyond issues like deforestation and forest fires, the effects of the climate emergency will make everyday life in Brazil more challenging. Rainstorms are expected to become increasingly intense and brief, while heat waves and droughts will become more frequent — creating the perfect conditions for sustained air pollution.

The impact won’t be distributed evenly across the globe, either. Countries with more biodiversity to lose, like Brazil, will see more dramatic changes in the coming decades.

Environment Minister Marina Silva warned that Brazil could lose the Pantanal, the world’s biggest tropical wetlands, by the end of the century. Some scientists, however, say her forecasts may be too optimistic.

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This episode used music from Uppbeat and Envato. License codes: Fairytales by Daniel Zambo, Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S), and Private Investigation by AMZA (V9ZG3LD).

In this episode:

• Cedê Silva is The Brazilian Report’s Brasília correspondent.

Background reading:

• Climate issues are expected to make prices more volatile in Brazil as wildfires surge across key agricultural areas, including soy- and sugarcane-producing regions. Experts say the crisis will push the price of crops like beans, sugar, oranges, and meat up.

• Brazil’s Pantanal is facing unprecedented wildfire devastation, threatening biodiversity, local communities, and future generations. Environment Minister Marina Silva said that, without a course correction, Brazil “could lose the Pantanal [wetlands] by the end of the century.”

• Environmental workers were on strike for months. During that time, forest fires soared across the country.

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The post Explaining Brazil #308: The climate crisis is here appeared first on The Brazilian Report.