Drought

UN: Amazon Drought Leaves 420K Children Without Adequate Food, Water

Published NOV 7 2024

Story

Above: Children walk on a sandbank on their way to school in Santo Antonio Community in Novo Airao, Amazonas state, northern Brazil, on Oct. 1, 2024. Image credit: MICHAEL DANTAS/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

The UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has warned that an acute drought has left over 420K children in the Amazon basin "without access to adequate food, water, health care, and schools." Record-low river levels have reportedly shut down over 1.7K schools and 760 clinics in Brazil.
ETHealthworld.com
According to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are experiencing climate shocks, severely affecting riverine communities, devastating "an essential ecosystem that families rely on," and intensifying child malnutrition risks.
Unicef
The UN agency called on leaders at the upcoming COP29 summit in Azerbaijan to increase climate financing for children, including at least $10M to address the urgent needs of Indigenous communities in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Guardian
Al Jazeera
Last month, Brazil's Negro River, the world's sixth largest by water volume, reportedly hit its lowest water level in 122 years. Meanwhile, historically low water levels have been recorded in other Amazon rivers, including the Solimoes River.
Al Jazeera
Additionally, the drought has worsened the region's air quality, raising respiratory issues among children under five. The current crisis has been attributed to the El Niño weather pattern experienced in the latter half of 2023 and the first half of 2024.
Earthobservatory
Unicef
As of Sept. 8, 2024, more than 160K blazes had been recorded in Brazil — the highest number since 2010 — reportedly destroying an area the size of Italy.
ap

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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CRIT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The current crisis represents a devastating combination of climate change and El Niño effects. Surface water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific exceed those of the 2015-2016 'Godzilla' El Niño, suggesting more severe droughts ahead for the Amazon region. Urgent action is required to protect not only today's children but also future generations.

FOX News

Unicef

Narrative B

Media-driven fearmongering about climate change intensifies public anxiety, especially concerning the Amazon Basin. Sensational headlines often suggest deforestation rates are at record highs, though they peaked in the early 2000s. Constant alarmism skews public perception, obscuring progress and realistic solutions. Let us not stoke unwarranted fears about humanity's future.

Reason.com