The world’s largest river and rainforest was parched by extreme temperatures last year that would have been highly unlikely without climate change, scientists said.
The hardy cactus - fond of heat and aridity, adapted to rough soils - might not seem like the picture of a climate change victim. Yet even these prickly survivors may be reaching their limits.
An examination of Brazil’s immense tannery industry shows how hides from illegally deforested ranches can easily reach the global marketplace. In the United States, much of the demand for Brazilian leather comes from automakers.
In 2020, destruction of the world’s largest rainforest rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier to about 4,280 square miles. That’s a little smaller than Connecticut.
The blazes in Brazil, often intentionally set, have scorched a record-setting 10 percent of the Pantanal, one of the most biologically diverse habitats on the planet.
