{"id":85546,"date":"2026-08-18T10:32:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/?p=85546"},"modified":"2026-08-18T10:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:32:46","slug":"if-this-is-the-new-normal-then-we-are-in-very-deep-trouble-brazils-drying-aquifers-could-have-ripple-effects-across-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/if-this-is-the-new-normal-then-we-are-in-very-deep-trouble-brazils-drying-aquifers-could-have-ripple-effects-across-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"‘If This Is The New Normal, Then We Are In Very Deep Trouble’: Brazil’s Drying Aquifers Could Have Ripple Effects Across The World"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Live Science:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Cracked<\/p>\n

Brazil is home to some of the world’s largest aquifers, yet many of those groundwater stores \u2014 which provide 55% of the country’s water \u2014 have shrunk so much over the past 25 years that they face irreversible damage. This groundwater depletion has been caused by drought, increased water evaporation due to\u00a0climate change<\/u><\/a>, and pumping for human consumption, new research suggests.<\/p>\n

Most of the world’s soybeans, sugarcane, oranges and coffee \u2014 as well as a big proportion of the world’s cotton and corn \u2014 are grown in the areas with the most depleted aquifers, so the dwindling groundwater supply could have ripple effects for food markets around the world, including in the U.S.\u00a0 The depleted aquifers may also collapse river systems that produce hydroelectric power for Brazil, forcing the country to turn to coal or biomass for electricity, experts told Live Science.<\/p>\n