As we have learned over the past week and have heard in the news, climate changes have  hit new records that are and will continue to be catastrophic for our earth. As reported by the Associated Press in the article “A lake in Bolivia Evaporates, and With It a Way of Life”, climate change has once again deeply affected yet another country.  One of Bolivia’s lake has evaporated and it has been reported that the capital, La Paz, could face dreadful drought conditions in the upcoming years.

As we learned about the “hockey stick”, a graph where the dramatic climate change is shown beginning in the 1900s due to industrialization, we continue to see the effects today. Bolivia’s lake Poopó, the country’s second largest, has evaporated as a result of the increasing temperatures (about 1 degree Celsius). Many attribute the evaporation to several causes including the burning of fossil fuels, El Niño, and mining.

As a result of the evaporation, the majority of the population surrounding the lake has moved away from the area, leaving a small elderly community left. Along with the people, the fauna of Poopó has either died or left. In 2014, thousands of fish died as lake Poopó  was found to have unsafe levels of heavy metal and recently biologists say that around 75 species of birds have left the area.

Unfortunately, even with researchers and environmentalists, Bolivia’s government and President Evo Morales have disregarded the issue for several years and continue to believe that lake Poopó could come back.

Associated Press. “A Lake in Bolivia Evaporates, and With It a Way of Life.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.