Name: Sand dunes appear in Amazon rainforest
Uploaded: 2024-11-18T03:57:55.010Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Description: CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon reports on how politics are impacting the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest river by volume.

CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon reports on how politics are impacting the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest river by volume.

Amazon Rainforest

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

The Amazon River, known as the largest river by volume globally, is experiencing significant challenges due to climate change. The current severe drought has led to the emergence of sandbanks and sand dunes in the region, complicating transportation and affecting daily life. As a result, over 400,000 children are impacted, with more than 1,700 schools closed or inaccessible in Brazil due to the low water levels. 

The situation is increasingly visible, with U.S. President Joe Biden set to witness the changes firsthand during his visit to South America. His trip is significant as the region sees progressive leaders in both Colombia and Brazil, offering some hope for cooperative environmental policies. However, the potential shift in U.S. leadership, with climate skeptic Donald Trump as the president-elect, casts doubts on future international climate commitments. 

As the Amazon approaches a crucial tipping point, deforestation and climate change-driven extreme weather pose severe threats. Experts warn that without urgent action, the rainforest's collapse might contribute significantly to global carbon emissions, impacting critical ecosystems worldwide. The next four years are pivotal for addressing these challenges and preventing further environmental deterioration.



Sand dunes appear in Amazon rainforest

The Amazon, the world's largest river by volume and arguably also one of its most traveled transportation networks. Here there are no roads, people travel in ferries, boats and canoes. But as the Amazon battles a climate change fuel historic drought, getting around is more difficult. There are sandbanks everywhere, the boat could hit one and break its propeller, says this tourist guide. This month UNICEF reported that more than 400,000 children are being affected because of the current drought conditions. More than 1,700 schools closed or inaccessible because of low water levels in the Brazilian part of the forest alone. As U.S. President Joe Biden flies over the Amazon on Sunday, the dramatic effects of climate change will be impossible to miss, including sand dunes that look like they belong in a desert but were underwater not too long ago. It's a very important moment right now in the Amazon because for the first time there are two progressive presidents in the two biggest Amazon economies, which is Colombia and Brazil. So there's a tiny window of opportunity that both presidents come up with concrete proposals to conserve biodiversity in the Amazon. Nevertheless, next year when COP30 on climate change will be organized by Brazil in the Amazon, Trump will be in power. The U.S. president-elect is the elephant in the room throughout Biden's visit to South America. Donald Trump is a climate skeptic who pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement once before. What we fear is that Trump will represent the corporate powers that actually drive Amazon destruction and fuel climate change. Trump has vowed to reverse Biden's climate policies, which could drive other countries in South America to shrug off their own pledges. We don't have a global warming problem. They don't use that term anymore anyway because as you can see the planet it's getting it's very cool out here today isn't it? Experts say the Amazon is approaching a tipping point. If deforestation and climate change-fuelled extreme weather continue, the rainforest could collapse and release large amounts of planet-heating carbon like many other critical ecosystems overwhelmed by global warming. The next four years are crucial for this jungle and for the world alike, with the incoming commander-in-chief seemingly in denial.

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Climate Crisis