▲ Yagua indigenous people carry water and other goods on their backs due to the low level of the Amazon River, on the Isla de los Micos, department of Amazonas, Colombia.Photo Afp
From the Editorial
La Jornada Newspaper
Saturday, November 9, 2024, p. 19
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported yesterday that 2024 is on track to become the warmest in history, while the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted that in Brazil, Colombia and Peru, countries in the Amazon region, are affected by warming that has already left hundreds of thousands of people, including more than 420 thousand children, without education, food and other basic services.
The WMO and its partners tell us that this year is on track to be the hottest year on record, said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also added that humanity is setting the planet on fire and paying the price.
The global temperature analysis covers January to September 2024 and is based on six international data sets which provide an accurate assessment of temperature.
The unprecedented drought that has hit the Amazon region for a year caused the rivers to register devastating lows.
The Unicef report indicates that in 14 communities in the southern Brazilian Amazon, half of the families claim that their children do not go to school as a result of desiccation, where more than 1,700 schools and more than 760 health centers closed. or are inaccessible due to low water level.
On the Colombian side, the depth of rivers decreased by up to 80 percent, which restricted access to drinking water and food supplies, in addition to causing the suspension of in-person classes for children in more than 130 schools.
In Peru, the northeastern region of Loreto is the most affected by the dry season, which endangers remote human settlements, mostly inhabited by already vulnerable indigenous people. Furthermore, food shortages resulting from climate change increase the risk of malnutrition, stunting and child death, especially in children under 5 years of age, while water scarcity can cause more precarious access to sanitation and health networks. with the consequent increase in infectious diseases, many of them fatal.
Research also found that pregnant women affected by drought are more likely to have low birth weight in their children.
Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, said: We are witnessing the devastation of an essential ecosystem on which families depend and that for centuries has housed valuable natural resources.and added that the effects of extreme climate crises must be mitigated in order to protect today’s children and future generations.
UNICEF concluded that 10 million dollars over the next few months to address more urgent needs of the localities that suffer the most from droughts, including the distribution of water and other resources, as well as the mobilization of health brigades and strengthening the resilience of community systems and public services.