New study links Amazon deforestation drought in the country
The researcher Mr. Antonio Nobre from the Earth Science System Centre, which is linked to the National Institute for Space Research, analysed more than 200 scientific articles on the Amazon and its relation to climate and rainfall in Brazil, concluded that deforestation in this region influences the water shortage in the most populous regions of the country, including the southeast.
The report "The Future Climate of the Amazon", commissioned by the Amazon Regional Coordination, a network composed of several South American associations, attempts to explain the possible causes and effects of recent climate mess and presents solutions that would minimise the negative impacts of these changes.
According to the researcher, the lack of precipitation, occurred mainly in the Southeast, especially in the state of São Paulo, would be an indirect consequence of Amazonian deforestation. Since early the 70s until 2013, logging and gradually slash and burn caused 762,979 km2 of deforestation, which area is equivalent to 2 (two) Germanies. The data refer to total deforestation (named as clearcutting).
The removal of vegetation cover interrupts the flow of moisture from the soil to the atmosphere. Thus, the “flying rivers”, a name given to large clouds of moisture responsible for the rains, which are transported by winds from the Amazon to the Midwest, Southern, and Southeast Brazil, do not “hit the road”, causing water scarcity.
"The dry season is longer by extending the most deforested regions and the rain clouds of air streams are not coming from the forest still existing in areas that previously arrived. This effect has a direct connection to deforestation," says Nobre. “The most deforested regions are those areas without the flying rivers of the Amazon going through the southern South America," he added.
According to the studies, per day, the Amazon releases into the atmosphere 20 trillion litters of water transpired. Nobre compares the strength of the trees to the geysers, hot springs that periodically launch jets of hot water into the air. Such perspiration, according to the study, makes it even more valuable forest (besides its vast biodiversity).
Tendency to more deforestation - One of the solutions proposed by the research in order to avoid discontinuity in the flow of moisture and thus reduce the worsening drought in Brazil, is to try to stop deforestation in the Amazon. However, it seems far from happening.
The survey presented by the Amazon Institute of Man and the Environment (Imazon) stated an increase of 191% of deforestation in August and September 2014, compared the the same period in 2013.
Although the data is parallel to the one released by the government, which uses Deter and Prodes systems, the updated information by Deter, referring to June and July, indicated an increase of 195% in the loss of vegetation, compared to these periods between 2014 and 2013.
Another alarming point is that Brazil has not signed the Climate Summit, held by the United Nations in September, which is an agreement designed to reduce the loss of forests by 2020 and reset it by 2030.
The Brazilian Environment Minister, Izabella Teixeira, said at the time that the country was not "invited to engage in the preparation process," through the statement. Instead, according to her, the country received a copy of the UN text, which asked to approve it without permission to suggest any amendments. The Foreign Ministry added that the document does not come from the UN, but from those countries that signed it, and that the text needed to be improved, that is why Brazil chose not to sign.
Nobre believes that the Brazilian government not signing the declaration of forests, unaware of those terms present in the current report and is "hopeful that such arguments will be absorbed by the negotiators."
At work, he states other solutions to reverse the crisis situation in the Amazon and its drastic consequences: popularising scientific facts that explain the importance of biome to climate; reduce fires that hit the region; recover deforested areas to replant new forests; and rely on "war efforts" of government and society, in order to fund preservation efforts and halt the degradation.
"The diagnosis is serious, the threats are real and the solutions are still available to reverse this situation," concludes the researcher.