is received by young residents after arriving on a boat to distribute Christmas gifts to children who live in the riverside communities of the Amazon is carried by his helpers after arriving on a boat to distribute Christmas gifts to children who live in the riverside communities of the Amazon A young Amazonian resident strikes a ball towards Jorge Barroso who gave the ball to the boy after Barroso arrived on a boat to distribute Christmas gifts to children is embraced by a young resident after arriving on a boat to distribute Christmas gifts to children who live in the riverside communities of the Amazon Brazil — Santa Claus braved the sticky heat of the Amazon rainforest this weekend taking two boats to bring gifts to the children of a small village near the Brazilian city of Manaus The visit was arranged by Amigos do Papai Noel a Brazilian charity that has been taking gifts to children in the Amazon rainforest for the past 26 years nothing new happens," said Raimunda Ferrera Vieira a community leader in the village of Catalao More than 600 children from different villages gathered in Catalao to receive presents from Santa the Brazilian Santa sailed on a large boat down the Amazon river then paddled a canoe along a swampy tributary Dozens of volunteers formed a line to Santa's boat to help him unload his holiday cargo of stuffed animals And two of the helper even had to carry Santa off his boat to prevent his boots from getting wet changes in the weather have complicated gift deliveries the water levels of the two largest rivers in the area So children had to gather in a community where the river was deep enough for Santa's boat to arrive "We knew this would be difficult" said Pedro Carvalho Filho a computer programmer who manages Amigos do Papai Noel "Usually on this day we make three deliveries to the riverside communities." Santa said all the sweat and toil was worth it "Every child in every community always smiles back" said Santa impersonator Jorge Alberto Moreira Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: BRAZIL: Floating in the Rio Negro river in the Brazilian Amazon beams as he hugs a pink dolphin during a special therapy session is one of several patients with disabilities who travelled from the nearby city of Manaus to take part in the alternative therapy sessions which have helped some 400 people over the past two decades Patients include young people who are autistic Down Syndrome and others who have lost limbs who says his special form of animal therapy is "the first in the world," is not a replacement for conventional treatments contact with nature and a strength you don´t have in hospital environments." a neuropsychologist who works with children said the unique therapy also has "social benefits," as those with disabilities come into contact with people and situations from outside their daily lives Luiz Felipe and two young women taking part in the session do breathing exercises and yoga to relax before coming into contact with the dolphins Fernandes said that the first time Luis Felipe attended one of the sessions he "hadn't dared" to enter the water The pink river dolphins — known as boto — approach the group out of curiosity swimming between their legs and floating among them The "bototherapy" sessions have been approved by the Ibama environmental regulator Simoes said the therapy helps his patients with "balance strengthening the spine and psychomotor skills." "Here we don't treat pathologies but human beings," he said Physiotherapist Igor Simoes Andrade and young people with disabilities swim with pink dolphins in the Rio Negro River in Iranduba The physiotherapist launched a program in 2016 which provides sessions for people with physical and mental disabilities by taking them to swim with wild pink freshwater dolphins in the Amazon BRAZIL: Wildfire smoke blankets the city of São Paulo on Sept LABREA: An area of Amazon rainforest is on fire in the municipality of Labrea IRANDUBA: Fire is seen in an area of the Amazon rainforest in Iranduba Much of Brazil is burning as tens of thousands of fires rage around the country the fires threaten one of the world’s most crucial ecosystems and are consuming the Amazon’s vast stores of carbon sending more of the damaging greenhouse gas into the atmosphere 2.4 million hectares (about 6 million acres) of forests fields and pastures in the Amazon burned between June and August There were more than 95,000 hot spots in the Amazon biome this year to Sept according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research The fires emitted 31.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent between June and August says the Amazon Environmental Research Institute That represents an annual increase of 60% and is roughly on par with the emissions from running eight coal-fired power plants for a year The Amazon is one of the world’s most important carbon sinks a biologist and researcher at both Sao Paulo University and the Federal University of Amazonas Although fires are common during the country’s dry season this year’s anomalies are a red flag for experts “The timing of the fires and how long it is lasting is what is worrying us,” said Ritaumaria Pereira a nonprofit focused on research and projects in the Amazon region Climatologists have warned for decades that events like this year’s would come to pass Droughts in the last two decades have become much more severe and much more common The last year - the hottest on record globally - brought Brazil’s extremes to a new level “This was always something that we know would happen,” said Michael Coe senior scientist and tropics program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center “But there’s a huge difference between knowing that it will happen and seeing it happen.” what replaces them can’t replace the carbon storage and evaporative cooling that benefits the global climate The Amazon is a critical part of the global climate system modeling suggests that the Earth could warm another degree Celsius on top of the already dangerous 2.7C or so that’s already in store deforestation and other causes have lifted the global average temperature by about 1.3C since before industrialization Around 40% of the fire spots in Brazil are in areas of primary Deforestation is lower than it has been in years past an indication of how primed the land is to burn due to hot “Although it is not the climate that starts the fires,” he added Ibama says almost all of the fires have been caused by humans Burning is common in Brazilian agriculture cheap way to clear land and prepare soil for new planting Agostinho said Ibama has gone on a war footing with thousands of vehicles and hundreds of inspectors The agency has asked for assistance from neighboring countries even some that are also dealing with wildfires themselves Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva told senators earlier this month that the rainforest is “losing humidity” and becoming more vulnerable to fires in a “severe process of climate change.” she said during a radio interview that “at the moment any fire is characterized as criminal.” The government wants to stiffen existing penalties for setting fires Smoke from the fires has already covered a large part of the country and has clouded the sky over far-away São Paulo The smoke even reached Argentina and Uruguay (Brazil’s smoke is compounded by that from fires in other countries President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva this week announced 514 million reais (about $95 million) to fund emergency measures including more investigations and hiring specialized firefighters Lula returned to the international stage promising to bolster protections for the Amazon shield tribal lands from resource extraction and spark a green transition of Brazil’s economy Deforestation went down and a project establishing guidelines for developing sustainable fuels was approved marking progress toward a cleaner-energy future the crisis in the Amazon - captured in photos seen around the world - may pose a challenge for Lula when he heads to the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this week more investment in firefighting and stepped-up enforcement a postdoctoral researcher at Woodwell who studies drivers of fire risk in the Amazon “Lula is trying to convince the world that Brazil is a climate leader But there’s some disconnect there in the actual actions on the ground,” Machado said With assistance from Gabriel Diniz Tavares and Beatriz Amat Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post Saturday’s Mad Collab Block Party in Hagåtña brought together more than 70 local businesses and artists in celebration with hundreds of attendees It was all about the wonders of Artificial Intelligence in the palm of your hand All of the latest features in Samsung's Galaxy AI were showcased at a GTA-sponsored event Thursday University of Guam students and alumni presented original research at the 19th annual International Conference on Business Economics & Information Technology (ICBEIT) hosted by the University of Guam School of Business and Public Administration in Mactan Newtown the page you were looking for could not be found The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web Brazil (AP) — Communities dependent on the Amazon rainforest’s waterways are stranded without supply of fuel Dozens of river dolphins perished and washed up on shore And thousands of lifeless fish float on the water’s surface These are just the first grim visions of extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon The historically low water levels have affected hundreds of thousands of people and wildlife and with experts predicting the drought could last until early 2024 but these days has been struggling to simply find water Like most rural residents in Brazil’s Amazon do Carmo typically retrieves water untreated from the biome’s abundant waterways he was making his fourth trip of the day to fill a plastic bucket from a well dug into the cracked bed of Lake Puraquequara just east of Amazonas state’s capital Manaus even more so when the sun is hot,” do Carmo told The Associated Press a 73-year-old ship carpenter who has lived by the same lake for 43 years said this drought is the worst he can recall Area children stopped going to school a month ago because getting there by river became impossible Eight Brazilian states recorded the lowest rainfall in the period from July to September in over 40 years The drought has affected most of the main rivers in the Amazon which accounts for 20 percent of the planet’s fresh water 42 of 62 municipalities in Amazonas had declared a state of emergency Some 250,000 people have been affected by the drought so far and that number may double by year’s end according to the state’s civil defense authority over 300 riverine families are struggling to get food and other supplies Only small canoes with reduced cargo can manage the trip to the closest city and picking a route through shallow water has pushed travel time from nine hours to 14 canals to the lakes where they fish for pirarucu the Amazon’s largest fish and their primary source of income and carrying fish that weigh as much as 200 kilograms (about 440 pounds) along trails would be extremely burdensome “We run the risk of catching fish in the lake So there is no way for us to fish,” said Edvaldo de Lira Dry spells are part of the Amazon’s cyclical weather pattern with lighter rainfall from May to October for most of the rainforest That already low rainfall is being further reduced this year by two climate phenomena: El Niño — the natural warming of surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region — and the warming of northern tropical Atlantic Ocean waters is the backdrop of these intensified phenomena Rising temperatures increase the likelihood of extreme weather although attribution of specific events to climate change is complex and requires in-depth study as global temperatures continue to rise and the effects of climate change become more severe the drought and its devastating consequences may be a glimpse into a bleak future Average global temperatures soared to a record in September Crushing heat waves have swept across large swathes of Brazil these past months In its southern state of Rio Grande do Sul READ MORE: A cyclone in Brazil flooded dozens of cities, leaving at least 27 dead and 1,600 homeless Droughts have become more frequent in the Amazon’s Madeira River whose basin extends some 2,000 miles from Bolivia to Brazil with four of the five lowest river levels recorded in the past four years a researcher with the Geological Survey of Brazil The Madeira’s level at Porto Velho is the lowest since measurements began in 1967 halted operations this week due to the lack of water It’s the first time that happened since it opened in 2012 The Amazon’s main tributary has had seven of its largest floods in the past 11 years is headed toward its lowest-ever water levels this year “We are already living a scenario of an altered climate that oscillates between extreme events This has very serious consequences not only for the environment but also for people and the economy,” said Ane Alencar science director for the Amazon Environmental Research Institute “I think there is a very high chance that what we are living now Brazil’s government has created a task force to coordinate a response Ministers of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government visited Manaus on Tuesday Vice President Geraldo Alckmin promised food drinking water and fuel to isolated communities and said payments of the Bolsa Familia welfare program would be made in advance Dredging on stretches of two rivers — Solimoes and Madeira — is in the works to improve navigability is suspected in the deaths of more than 140 dolphins in Lake Tefe rocketed into headlines in Brazil and beyond along with images of vultures picking at their beached carcasses Excessive heat may have caused organ failure a hydrologist at the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Institute with abnormally warm waters acting as an additional stress factor no one had ever seen anything like it,” said Fleischmann Rainfall is forecast to be below average until the end of the year according to the National Institute for Space Research The drought’s impact is already rippling beyond the Amazon’s waterways Areas of forest along the riverbanks accumulate a thick layer of leaf litter which makes them particularly susceptible to wildfire a researcher at the National Institute of Amazonian Research nearly 7,000 fires were reported in September alone the second-highest figure for the month since satellite monitoring began in 1998 The resulting smoke is choking Manaus’ more than 2 million inhabitants who are also experiencing sweltering heat Last Sunday the city recorded its hottest temperature since regular measurements began in 1910 The increased frequency of extreme weather events heightens the need for coordination between the federal regional and municipal governments to prepare and create a system of alerts to mitigate impacts AP reporters Fabiano Maisonnave contributed from Brasilia and Eléonore Hughes and Diane Jeantet from Rio de Janeiro © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2023 at 10:54 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Wildfires and a historic drought in the Brazilian state of Amazonas have sparked an environmental emergency as authorities struggle to contain blazes in the heart of the world’s largest rainforest Officials this week declared a state of emergency that covers nearly two dozen municipalities in the southern part of the state including the metropolitan area of the capital city of Manaus as the El Nino weather phenomenon and destruction in the Amazon rainforest intensify the region’s annual fire season Today's print edition Home Delivery heavy rain pushed Brazil's sprawling Negro River to its highest level in more than a century parts of southern and west-central Brazil in the Parana River basin — including Brazil's largest city of Sao Paulo — have suffered unprecedented drought due to low rainfall.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); drought and intense downpours could be a glimpse of a potentially dire future as a heating planet and surging deforestation alter long-standing weather patterns throughout Brazil and South America In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Floating houses in a drought-hit harbor of Cacau Pirêra in Iranduba 2024 at 11:15 AM ESTUpdated on February 15 2024 at 12:50 PM ESTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.The world’s largest investor group formed to fight climate change suffered a blow when two of the industry’s biggest money managers left the coalition The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Photograph: Patrick Meinhardt/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images In the shadow of a giant bridge under construction Jandira Costa has no qualms about development in the Amazon "We can't wait for it to open," she says of the 3.5km-long road over the Amazon's major tributary it takes Costa and her family at least half an hour to queue up and cross to the other side crossing the river costs up to 100 real (around £37) The bridge - the first on the world's greatest river system symbolises the surging development at the heart of the world's largest rainforest and will bring much-needed economic opportunities for those living on the far bank But environmentalists fear that the bridge could open up the rainforest to further destruction Manaus is the steamy and sprawling industrial capital of the vast Amazonas state manufacturing the latest flatscreen TVs and mobile phones for the whole of Brazil It has been an island of wealth for 200 years but it is now opening up in all directions The bridge runs from north to south, to the undeveloped towns of Iranduba, Manacapuru and Novo Airão and towards the untouched jungle. To the west, a 600km gas pipeline will next month begin powering a huge new electricity power station by bringing energy from a pristine part of the forest at Urucu into the city While the 25m people in the Amazon and their local politicians welcome the opening of new horizons the question troubling scientists environmental policymakers and campaigners is whether all these riches can be delivered while leaving the ancient trees of the Amazon standing Their continued loss woulddrive climate change and deprive the world of its most diverse store of animal and plant life which was a leper colony just 20 years ago The new BR-319 road south to Porto Vehlo, officially planned to open by 2012 if government funds are allocated, is also very popular locally. It is backed by Alfredo Nascimento who stood down as Brazil's transport minister in March to run for the governorship of Amazonas given that Manaus will host some games in the 2014 football World Cup fans should have the right to drive to the game 75% of all deforestation in the Amazon is estimated to have taken place within 50km of roads director of government's department of policy to combat deforestation agrees: "The arc of destruction is exactly where the roads are." The government is now developing ways in which people can earn more without destroying the Amazon rainforest allows the felling of selected trees in a 25-year cycle to enable new trees to flourish has doubled the incomes of the farmers taking part "bio-jewellery" made from seeds and latex toys make up just 5% of the income The vast size of the Amazon makes it hard to connect people and scale up businesses The government is also beginning to solve land rights disputes and granting concessionary plots to local families in the region. Domingos dos Santos Rodriguez, manager of the Tapajós natural forest park in Para is proud of the protection his park has afforded but acknowledges it is "quite common" for people to find ways to acquire more than the one concession allowed Another question being raised is whether the rewards brought by new roads and other infrastructure will benefit the majority of the 25m people who live in the Amazon, or simply boost the wealth of the rich. Raquel Carvahlo, Greenpeace Amazon campaigner in Manaus "It will see an increase in population which will probably overburden public services – medical care housing etc - but the truth is the workers needed must have some level of technical ability so the major portion of migrants survive in the black economy." Fearnside believes the large cattle ranchers responsible for most of past deforestation will gain far more than landless labourers who sit at the bottom of Brazil's yawning wealth divide The destruction of forest has dropped dramatically since its peak in 2004 and was 75% lower in 2009 But it is difficult to unpick how much of that fall is due to increased government enforcement - meaning deforestation is under permanent control - or fluctuations in beef and soy prices or the rising value of Brazil's currency or increases in the productivity of cleared land Prof Troy Beldini, at the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere programme centre 85km south of Santarem is working to turn the scientific research of his team into practical protective policies "The Amazon will one way or another be used because it provides jobs," he says "The deforestation trend will go up unless there is a strong monitoring presence what we need is a [stronger] ground presence." Fearnside also believes the Amazon will be developed but argues that strong and enforceable protections must be in place before the chainsaws move in protection plans were prepared in parallel and then forgotten when building began He adds: "If you are going to spend a billion reals to improve life in the interior of the Amazon you do not build a road [the BR-319] you build hospitals and schools where the people already live." the ex-environment minister who resigned in 2008 in frustration at development plans However, a serious political threat is a proposed change to the Forest Code that would massively increase the proportion of a farmer's land that can legally be cleared of trees. It is opposed by Teixeira and Brazil's environment agency Ibama but has passed the committee stage in Brazil's congress and will be voted on later this year frequently talks of an international conspiracy by rich countries to suppress Brazil's growth The biggest hope for a game-changing moment that will protect the Amazon's thick blanket of stored carbon is the agreement of a global regime, known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) where forest saved from felling can be used to create international carbon credits bought by nations seeking to offset their own emissions Norway has already promised Brazil $1bn by 2015 for a parallel scheme "You cannot polarise the debate. Brazil is a big player in the timber trade and it will be in the future," says Teixeira "You have to discuss what are the economic requirements to prevent deforestation REDD is essential to this new step of development." The failure to agree a global climate deal in Copenhagen has slowed the founding of a forest based carbon credit scheme. Hopes remain that the next meeting, in Mexico in November But disagreements remain with Brazil wary of a full market-based system arguing grants must be part of the package and also expecting more of the money to go to poorer countries with tropical forests such as Congo Making trees worth more alive than dead is one of the least expensive ways of tackling global warming The colossal amount of carbon stored in the Amazon means it could provide billions of dollars of funding for development while keeping the forest intact it is one of the longest bridges in Brazil The height of the road rises to 55m in the middle The cost is an estimated $400m and will be toll-free Currently 2,500 vehicles a week are ferried across the river Its construction consumed 1m bags of cement - around 50,000 tonnes Damian Carrington's travel expenses were paid for by the Brazilian government They had no say in the content of this article This article was amended on 6 August 2010 The original stated that the Manaus-Iranduba bridge is the longest in Brazil