Escalating Climate Disasters in the Amazon (2006-2022): Vulnerabilities and Compound Risks

The Amazon, a global biodiversity hotspot and home to ~30 million inhabitants, including numerous Indigenous ethnies, is increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts. Despite global evidence of climate-related disasters, the Brazilian Amazon's exposure remains underexplored. This study elucidates the spatiotemporal dynamics of socioeconomic vulnerabilities to climate disasters, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, fires, and landslides. From 2006 to 2010, an annual average of 540,000 people was affected by climate disasters in the Brazilian Amazon; by 2018-2022, this number surged to 1.78 million annually, a 229% increase. Financial losses rose 377%, from $132.8 million per year (2006-2010) to $634.2 million per year (2018-2022). Smaller municipalities with populations under 50,000, home to 61% of the Amazon’s Indigenous people, experienced an average economic growth loss of 9.58% from 2002 to 2020, along with lower Social Progress Index scores. Our findings highlight compound risks, revealing the urgent need for justice in adaptation for risk reduction. Addressing these vulnerabilities with justice and equity at the forefront is essential to mitigate further social and cultural losses in the Amazon.