A large expansion in cropland area  was observed in the past two decades in SAM, in response to increased local and global demand for biofuels and agricultural commodities  . Feedbacks to the climate system resulting from such land use changes are intricate. The clear-cutting of Amazon forest and Cerrado savannah in the region led to a local warming due to an increase in the energy balance and evapotranspiration ; in contrast, the replacement of pasture by agriculture have led to a local cooling effect, due to changes in the surface albedo . Deforestation of the Amazon for pastures and soybean have decreased evapotranspiration during drought months and caused a localised lengthening of the dry season in northwestern SAM by 6.5  d since 1979  .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report