Images of a Brazilian City Underwater
www.nytimes.com
Torrential rains have caused one of Brazil’s worst floods in modern history, leaving more than 100 dead and nearly an entire state submerged.

Climate experts say the region is reeling from the effects of El Niño, the cyclical climate phenomenon that can bring heavy rains to Brazil’s southern regions while causing drought in the Amazon rainforest.

But the effects of El Niño have been exacerbated by a mix of climate change, deforestation and haphazard urbanization, according to Mercedes Bustamante, an ecologist and professor at the University of Brasília.

“You’re really looking at a recipe for disaster,” said Dr. Bustamante, who has written several reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of experts convened by the United Nations.

  • The Pantser
    4•11 days ago

    Probably should have left some of that rainforest to help keep that water at bay eh?

      • JackGreenEarthEnglish
        8•10 days ago

        I guess you missed the part where this is partially due to climate change. Climate change would not have progressed as quickly if the Amazon rainforest had been protected, wherever it is. All that matters is that it was in Brazil’s jurisdiction, and they did nothing.