Weather & Science
Severe Amazon Drought Was Made 30 Times More Likely by Climate Change
Although El Niño played a role, global warming was the main driver behind the drought, an analysis by World Weather Attribution found.
Stranded boats at Puraquequara Lake in Manaus, Brazil.
Photographer: Michael Dantas/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Climate change was the primary culprit behind the devastating Amazon drought last year, while the weather phenomenon El Niño played a smaller role, scientists found.
The drought was 30 times more likely to occur with human-caused climate change, according to a new study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international group of scientists that analyzes extreme weather events to determine the influence of global warming. The study looked at the drought during the six-month period from June through November.