When an unusual drought afflicted the Brazilian Amazon in 2005, river levels dropped in several tributaries of the Amazon Basin. At least 20 municipalities declared a state of emergency.
were affected ¨C and what¡¯s worse, they were not yet recovered when a second, more severe dry spell struck the world¡¯s largest rain forest in 2010.
Droughts, as well as rain storms in the Amazon, can increase in frequency and intensity over this century, according to the report .
ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº study warns that the planet is already 0.8¡ãC warmer than in pre-industrial times, and that present greenhouse gas emission trends put it on a path toward 4¡ãC warming.
Huge impact
The consequences of such a warming include extreme temperatures in several regions and a rise on the sea level, among others.
¡°The impact on the Amazon would be huge,¡± says author Erick Fernandes, World Bank Adviser for Climate Change and Natural Resources Management. ¡°The 2005 and 2010 droughts prove that it doesn¡¯t easily recover from shocks,¡± he adds.
Forest fires, for example, could double by 2050 with a warming of approximately 1.5¡ãC to 2¡ãC above preindustrial levels.
Changes would be expected to be even more severe in a 4¡ãC warmer world ¨C particularly in the states worst hit by deforestation, such as Par¨¢, Rond?nia, and Mato Grosso.
¡°If forest fires become more frequent with climate changes, the biodiversity of this region will be threatened in the long run,¡± says Fernandes.
Worldwide, around 20% to 30% of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction, if the global average temperature rises by 2?C¨C3¡ãC.