A startling new reality is beginning to emerge in the sandy hinterlands of Macururé in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Being the first dry zone in Brazil, it was also formerly one of the country’s semi-arid areas. Caused by rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, this development serves now as a strong warning about how quickly climate change is affecting the nation’s landscapes and means of livelihoods.
The classification represents a significant change in the natural circumstances of the Caatinga, a large biome of drought-adapted plants and prickly shrubland that spans Brazil’s sertão. It is more than just a geographical alteration. Traditionally known for its harsh but survivable dry season, the region is now becoming inhospitable even to its hardiest flora and fauna.
In Macururé, where goats have long been a cornerstone of the local economy, farmers are feeling the effects firsthand. Raildon Suplício Maia, a 54-year-old goat herder, explains how conditions have worsened over his lifetime: “It used to rain earlier,” he says. “Now, there are no cacti, there’s no grass, and there’s not enough water. When you plant something, it dies.”
The scientific basis for the new classification comes from a detailed study of climate data from the National Centre for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden). Researchers analysed rainfall and evapotranspiration, the movement of water from the ground and plants into the atmosphere, across decades. They found that average annual rainfall in a roughly 5,700-square-kilometre area dropped below 400 millimetres between 1990 and 2020— a threshold that meets international definitions of aridity.
Scientists warn that this shift, occurring over only a single generation, marks a climate change that is difficult to reverse. While temperatures rise and rainfall declines, land degradation could further spread into the Caatinga, threatening around 13% of the biome, which is already identified as at risk.
For communities like those in and around Macururé, the consequences are both economic and existential. The region’s population has declined recently, with many young people leaving to seek work elsewhere. Water scarcity has strained traditional rainwater catchment systems, and families increasingly rely on cisterns and periodic water deliveries to meet basic needs.
The consequences extend beyond goat herding. Farmers in the region once grew subsistence crops such as corn, beans, and potatoes, but they now find that hardened soils prevent seeds from taking root. In the Curral da Pedra quilombo, a community with deep ancestral roots, residents recall how watermelons once flourished; today, they are small and dry.
Local officials see Macururé’s plight as a warning for Brazil as a whole. The country’s semi-arid region expanded by roughly 75,000 square kilometres per decade between 1960 and 2020, while formerly dry, subhumid climates have emerged in areas such as Rio de Janeiro State and the Pantanal.
These shifts signal a larger trend of dryness in the climate, affecting agricultural zones beyond the northeast. Experts have mentioned that the drivers for this are clear. Greenhouse gas emissions, the primary driver of global warming, are intensifying temperature rises and reshaping rainfall patterns.
While Brazil is gaining a lot of attention for curbing Amazon deforestation, the Caatinga crisis highlights the need for wider climate adaptation strategies across other biomes.
Justification and land restoration efforts could slow land degradation in vulnerable areas. Soil rehabilitation, sustainable grazing, and water-smart agriculture could help rebuild productive landscapes; however, these measures do require investment, coordination, and political will, which is often rare in isolated rural nations.
One can see how Brazil’s first official arid zone stands as a stark symbol, which showcases how climate change is a present reality that is reshaping life. Without urgent action, the drought-scarred plains of the Caatinga suggest wider transformations across the country’s economy as well as environment.
