Drought made worse

The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event, a study has found.

The drought was the worst recorded in many places and hit the maximum "exceptional" level on the scientific scale. Without planet-warming emissions from the burning of oil, gas and coal, the drought would have been far less extreme, the analysis by World Weather Attribution found.

It also showed the drought was made 30 times more likely to happen by global heating. The return of the natural El Nino climate phenomenon is associated with drier conditions but played only a small role, the scientists said. — Guardian News & Media