Global Warming Dries Out Bolivia's Second Largest Lake

Because of global warming, the second largest lake in Bolivia, Lake Poopó was officially declared in December 2015 as "dried up."

Scientists consider that the main cause of this natural disaster is drought due to repetitive El Niño phenomenon. Contributing factors are also deviations from the lake's tributaries. Aside from some agricultural purposes, Poopó's freshwater streams and tributaries are mostly used for agricultural purposes and mining.

El Nino has plagued Bolivia for centuries. However, Bolivia's ecosystem have undergone over the past 30 years some extraordinary stress due to climate change and global warming. The temperatures have risen in the country by about one degree Celsius.

Experts declared that recovery of the lake is no longer possible. According to Associated Press, citing the German glaciologist Dirk Hoffman, this pictures the climate change's future. Hoffman studies the advanced melting of Bolivia's glaciers due to increasing temperatures from fossil fuel burning.

The earliest recorded history of the lake dates back to only a century. Record keepers are not able to acquire reliable data about the number of people relegated by its dissipation. The Office of the Governor informed that 3,250 people at the minimum have received humanitarian help after their lives were affected by the drying of the lake.

According to Tech Times, among the effect of the lake's drying out is the significant impact in the livelihood of the local residents. In the past three years, residents have evacuated from the previous village located on the lake's shore. In the village are left now mostly the elderly, the population is cut at only half from previous numbers. Over 100 families have sold their sheep, alpaca and llamas.

From its former water level, the lake has declined now to just two percent. According to field biologists, animal presence was also affected and about 75 bird species have disappeared from the lake.