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Newsletter
Credit: Nicholas_Demetriades/Pixabay
Brazil's semi-arid farmers hope for government intervention to combat desertification
Small farmers in Brazil's semi-arid region struggle with land degradation due to climate change and past government neglect, but the new administration aims to prioritize land restoration and seek international funding.
Giovanna Carneiro and Inácio França report for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- Farmers in northeastern Brazil face severe desertification from climate change, poor land management, and government neglect.
- The new administration under President Lula plans to revive efforts to combat desertification and seek international funding.
- Faulty irrigation systems have exacerbated soil salinization, further threatening agricultural viability.
Key quote:
“Desertification is, in fact, a consequence of climate change; they are linked.”
— Alexandre Pires, head of the Desertification Combat Department of the Ministry of the Environment
Why this matters:
Desertification threatens the livelihoods of millions in Brazil, exacerbating poverty and food insecurity. There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The new administration has pledged to prioritize land restoration, recognizing the urgent need to reverse the damage done. This commitment marks a significant shift in policy, aiming to address the long-standing environmental issues that have plagued the region.
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Newsletter
Image by Maui Photography from Pixabay
Hawaii: Growing threat of ‘devastating’ fires as island landscape dries and warms
Devastating blazes, once a rarity across Hawaii, are increasing in furiousness and scale, driving a 400% increase in average area burned across the archipelago in the last century.
Photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash
Climate change is common thread for heat and smoke crises
Human-caused climate change is making high temperatures more common and intensifying the dryness that fuels catastrophic wildfires.
Photo by Rohit Tandon on Unsplash
Britain’s record holding climber says Everest is 'dry, more rocky'
Mount Everest is losing snow and turning "dry and rocky", British climber Kenton Cool, who made his 17th ascent of the world’s highest peak this week, the most by a foreigner, said on Saturday.
Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash
El Niño extremely likely to impact Australian summer, US scientists predict
Eastern Australia looks set for a drier winter and spring as a US federal agency predicts an “extremely high likelihood” of an El Niño developing later in the year.
Newsletter
Photo by Landon Parenteau on Unsplash
Spring wildfires in the eastern US got off to a roaring start this year
It may not be as dramatic as when the West burns, but an unseasonably warm, dry winter could make fire season longer and more intense.
Greening the desert: the architect regenerating Jordan’s native forests
Guilt over her role in concreting the landscape led Deema Assaf to set up Tayyun, dedicated to reforesting one of the world’s most arid countries.
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