Over 100 dolphins cooked in the Amazon river as climate change heats water to Jacuzzi temperatures
SalonOct 03, 2023
The Brazilian government-funded Mamirauá Institute has blamed the death of over a hundred dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest on the historic drought and record-high water temperatures in the Tefé Lake region.
The carcasses of 120 river dolphins, which could represent up to 10% of the population, have been beached on the lakeside since last week. Thousands of fish have also reportedly died in the area where temperatures have exceeded 102°F (39°C).
While the cause of this extreme event has yet to be determined, the death of at least 120 dolphins in the Amazon is undoubtedly connected to a historic drought and jacuzzi-level searing temperatures in Tefé Lake. This tragedy must serve as a warning that climate change threatens the survival of humans and many other intelligent mammals.
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with global warming. More research is needed before establishing any direct causal link between the two.
There's a 90% chance that there will be at least 2˚C of global warming by 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.