rel-sintese-rios-voadores-8b81fb12d5536ba7.pdf

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) and Amazônia 2030 examines the economic risks posed by the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, specifically focusing on the disruption of 'flying rivers' (rios voadores). These atmospheric currents transport moisture from the Atlantic Ocean across the continent, regulating rainfall essential for Brazil's energy, agriculture, urban water supply, and logistics. The document argues that protecting the forest is a strategic national imperative to avoid multi-billion real losses across key economic sectors.

• The 'flying rivers' mechanism involves the Amazon rainforest returning moisture to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration, which is then carried by winds to provide rainfall across the North, Center-West, South, and much of the Southeast regions of Brazil. Deforestation reduces the forest's capacity to recharge the atmosphere, thereby decreasing rainfall along these wind paths.
• Deforestation has caused measurable financial losses for major Brazilian hydroelectric plants. The Teles Pires plant loses an average of R$ 115 million annually, while combined annual potential losses for the Itaipu and Belo Monte plants exceed R$ 1 billion, with a lost generation potential of 3,700 GWh—equivalent to the annual consumption of the state of Rondônia.
• The Brazilian agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to rainfall changes because only 13% of its agricultural area is irrigated. Between 2013 and 2022, water scarcity resulted in estimated losses of R$ 186 billion in agricultural production and R$ 64 billion in livestock.
• Reduced rainfall from deforestation may compromise the resilience of vegetation against fires. In 2024, fires burned over 30.8 million hectares (a 79% increase over 2023), affecting 18.9 million people. Financial losses in the field reached R$ 14.7 billion, including R$ 8 billion in livestock and pasture and R$ 2.7 billion in sugarcane.
• Water scarcity threatens the efficiency of Brazil's waterway network, which is critical for commodity exports. Examples include the 2020/2021 drought that interrupted transport on the Tietê-Paraná waterway, a 40% reduction in grain flow in the Amazon in 2023, and the Rio Madeira reaching a record low depth of 25 cm in 2024, halting operations at the port of Porto Velho.
• Urban water supplies in high-population areas are located along the path of the flying rivers. The Cantareira system, which serves approximately 9 million people in São Paulo, has faced recurrent critical scenarios and prolonged drought since 2014.
• Projections indicate that by 2050, between 10% and 47% of the Amazon forest will be exposed to disturbances that could trigger forest transitions and loss of integrity, further impacting ecosystem services.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (n.d.). rel-sintese-rios-voadores-8b81fb12d5536ba7.pdf. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/REL-Sintese-Rios-Voadores.pdf

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. rel-sintese-rios-voadores-8b81fb12d5536ba7.pdf. n.d. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/REL-Sintese-Rios-Voadores.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=rel-sintese-rios-voadores-8b81fb12d5536ba7.pdf |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/REL-Sintese-Rios-Voadores.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiativendrelsinteseriosvoadores8b81fb12d5536ba7pdf, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{rel-sintese-rios-voadores-8b81fb12d5536ba7.pdf}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/REL-Sintese-Rios-Voadores.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }