A new study published in Environmental Research Letters highlights the significant impact of extreme weather events on people and infrastructure in the Amazon region. The research, supported by the Fulbright Amazonia Program, was conducted by an international team including Liliana M. Dávalos, a professor at Stony Brook University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
The team analyzed 11 years of disaster reports from municipalities in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. They standardized the data into categories such as storms, floods, landslides, droughts, and wildfires. Their findings show that between 2013 and 2023 there were 12,451 weather-related disasters reported in these Amazonian municipalities. These events affected millions of people and caused major damage to public infrastructure like roads, schools, and health centers.
“As important as this first-pass is, we hope it becomes a call to action; what we do not count, cannot be addressed, and this is an opportunity to align data collection to the magnitude of events we expect as climate continues to change,” said Liliana M. Dávalos.
Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Director of Science and co-corresponding author of the paper added: “We know South America, like all continents, is becoming hotter and drier with global heating, but how extreme weather is already affecting people on the ground is unknown.”
Rayane Pacheco from the University of Bristol stated: “There was this unexplored question: what if we can already see how floods, landslides, and fires are reshaping how people live?”
The researchers note that their estimates may be low because data were missing for some countries. They recommend making disaster data more timely and accessible to improve planning across the region.
Galia Selaya from ECOSCONSULT (Bolivia) commented: “We are not starting from zero; there are initiatives to articulate early warning systems to prevent and mitigate disasters, but they need to be strengthened.”
The authors suggest greater collaboration among Amazonian countries for tracking extreme weather impacts over time. By quantifying disasters across space and time they hope to help reduce future impacts on communities.
Juan P. Iñamagua from Universidad de Cuenca said: “We aim for policy makers across Amazonian countries to see and reflect on the disaster numbers for each country and learn from regional experiences; by sharing information and updating disaster action plans the Amazon can increase its preparedness for what will come with our new and changing climate.”
Sabina Ribeiro from Universidade Federal do Acre emphasized: “It is crucial to view the Amazon as a unified system, with transboundary responses to transboundary impacts. Countries within the Amazon must work together to tackle challenges that affect all nations that share the Amazon. A unified strategy is urgent!”
These findings come as national representatives discuss climate initiatives such as the Tropical Forests Forever Fund at CoP30 in Belém do Pará—the first Conference of Parties for UN Climate Change held in the Amazon region. The results were summarized at an ACTO symposium during CoP30.
“All the data we collected is available to ACTO and to anyone who needs it,“ said Alencar at the symposium.