Chile's record-breaking drought makes climate change 'very easy' to see
Esteban Medel
10 August 2021·3-min read
By Esteban Medel
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A punishing, decade-long drought in Chile has gone from bad to worse due to a scorching July, a month which typically brings midwinter weather showering the capital Santiago in rain and snow.
But a lack of precipitation this year has left the towering and typically snowcapped Andes above the city mostly bare, reservoir levels low and farm fields parched. The scenes, government officials say, are clear evidence of global warming.
On Tuesday, a central Santiago weather station had recorded just 78 mm (3 inches) of rainfall so far this year compared to last year's 180 mm and an average amount of 252 mm, according to Chile's Meteorological Service.
Science Minister Andres Couve told Reuters on Tuesday that the steady decline in water reserves due to climate change was now a "national priority."
He added the government was addressing the crisis by investing in water conservation and storage, creating a post for a subsecretary of water and establishing a scientist working group on water management, as well as a climate change observatory.
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