I too thank Lord M Vader this thread. I was just coming back to this site to open a new thread on the same topic, with just a slightly different slant to approaching the discussion about the ongoing drought in Brazil.
There are multiple 'human factors' contributing to the current water crisis in Sao Paulo and surrounding states. However, before getting in to those factors, we must keep in mind that Brazil depends on water for the majority of it's electrical production as well as for drinking, sanitation and industrial uses.
Apparently, this is the time of the year when an atmospheric 'river of water' should be flowing from the Amazon towards southern Brazil. How much is the impact of deforestation in the Amazon affecting changes on the regional microclimate??
Also, I read recent reports that as much a 37% of the water that flows through the pipelines, to Sao Paulo, is lost due to leakage. This is certainly a lack of properly maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure, which is becoming a serious political issue.
While the current drought is the worst since 1980, is this drought going to continue to worsen and not be just a random event??
This drought has caused protests in some communities and as the situation worsens, it could lead to civil unrest and possibly lead to reduction in industrial production and a health crisis. The drought has also caused agricultural problems with reduced crops of soybeans, coffee and cane sugar. The economic impact may be as devastating as the potential of a humanitarian crisis.
As a aside, my only visit to Brazil was in the early 70's when a young lady told me something to the following, "Brazil has no earthquakes, hurricanes or volcanoes...our only natural disasters are the people."
And their current science minister believes AGW is a hoax.