CAN and Mercosur declare water emergency in Amazon basin

At an extraordinary meeting in Manaus, environment ministers from Mercosur and the Andean Community (CAN) signed the “Amazon Water Alert and Emergency Declaration,” after the Solimões, Marañón and Negro rivers recorded historic minimum flow levels due to a prolonged drought attributed to climate change.

The sharp drop in river levels has left more than 120 cargo barges carrying grain and medical supplies stranded, isolating more than 180 riverside communities in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia.

Logistical trade losses from this phenomenon are estimated at $450 million in the first three weeks of river disruption.

The governments agreed to set up a $600 million rapid-response fund to finance humanitarian flights delivering food and treated drinking water, and to demand that the climate summit (COP) provide financial compensation for damage and ecological losses.

What SurEconomics thinks:

The water paralysis in the Amazon exposes the vulnerability of riverside populations; preserving the “lungs of the world” requires a permanent international public fund. We are talking about a serious ecological problem that could well compromise the future of the region and of a large part of humanity.

Sources:

·       General Secretariat of the Andean Community (CAN): Joint Declaration on Amazon Water Emergency

·       Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO): Amazon Basin Hydrological Bulletin