Coastal Brazil Is Likely to Face More Heat Waves and Droughts
In 2014, São Paulo experienced its greatest water crisis ever, caused by an intense drought. New research indicates that it is likely to happen again and be even more severe.
By November 2014, the Cantareira system, the main water supply source to the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil, had its reservoirs hit 8% of its capacity, an all-time low. Credit: Mídia Ninja/Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 11 December 2020
In early 2014, the Cantareira system, the main reservoir that feeds São Paulo, hit less than 10% of its capacity because of intense heat and drought, forcing Brazil’s most populated region to severely restrict its water consumption. Scientists working to understand the phenomenon say droughts like this can happen again and are likely to hit the region even harder.