Climate Change: Cause of Three Daily Disasters in Brazil

Brazilian National Center for Monitoring Natural Disasters (CEMADEN) has published a rather alarming report that shows an average of “three hydrogeological disasters per day” recorded in 2023 in this Latin American country. The total number of cases defined as a natural disaster last year was 1161. As a result, 9263 people were affected, 524,000 people were displaced, and the country’s economic losses exceeded 5.4 billion dollars.

According to CEMADEN experts, climate change and the occurrence of extreme weather events, such as El Niño, contributed to the absolute record of catastrophic events in 2023. “At least 716 disasters – representing 61.7% of the total – were hydrological in nature, such as river overflows, while another 445 – equal to 38.3% – had geological origin, such as landslides,” the Brazilian researchers wrote. According to their data, “in addition to all these incidents, there were 3425 alarm announcements in 2023.”

Fighting climate change and global warming is part of the government’s policy of Brazil, which pays a lot of attention to protecting the Amazon Forest. According to monitoring data released on January 24 by the Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (IMAZON), in Brazil, “deforestation in Amazon protected lands has reached its lowest level in nine years.” Specifically, in 2023, “deforestation on indigenous lands and protected areas decreased by 73% compared to the same period last year, totaling 386 square kilometers.” In 2022, the “deforested” area was 1431 square kilometers. “The significant reduction in deforestation in protected areas is very positive, as these areas need to be prioritized. In most cases, the devastation of indigenous lands and protected areas means illegal invasions that lead to conflicts with traditional peoples and communities living in these territories,” said IMAZON monitoring programs coordinator Carlos Souza.