Cuenca sets temperature records as the drought continues; Is the climate changing?; Interior Minister survives impeachment; More power on the way

Cuenca set a new all-time temperature record Tuesday, with a high of 29.4 degrees (85 Fahrenheit). According ETAPA meteorologist Rigoberto Guerrero, it is the fourth record high since 2022 and part of “the very frightening trend” of global warming. “Overall temperatures in Cuenca have risen four degrees (7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the last 10 year and we have set more than 50 new daily high temperature records,” he said in a Radio Tomebamba interview.

The rising temperatures and an increase in sunny days are big contributors to drought conditions, Guerrero says. “They reduce the flow of the rivers and the reservoir level at Mazar by evaporation. The intense sunshine is also a threat to peoples’ health as a result of high solar radiation.”

Interior Minister Mónica Palencia pleads are case Wednesday in the National Assembly.

It is too early to tell if there is a direct correlation between rising temperatures and the drought, according to Guerrero. “It certainly makes things worse but in some parts of the world rising temperatures lead to increased rainfall and flooding that you hear about every day on the news,” he says. “The Andean region, especially near the equator, has special conditions, such as El Niños and La Niñas, that affect the climate, and it can take years to determine changing trends. Today, of course, almost the entire South American continent and especially the Amazon region is suffering a terrible drought and it’s why we are having blackouts in Ecuador.”

A major factor in rising temperatures is reduced cloud cover, Guerrero says. “Overcast conditions help moderate temperatures in the Cuenca and southern Ecuador region but, in recent years, we are experiencing more sunny days,” he says. In 2023 and 2024, there has been a 20% increase in sunshine hours, the record shows. “Like drought conditions, it is too early to tell if the increase in sunshine is a long-term change.”

Guerrero adds: “What we know for sure is that the changes have happened in a short period of time and they are very alarming.”

Interior Minister survives Assembly impeachment
The attempt by the Citizens Revolution bloc of the National Assembly to impeach Interior Minister Mónica Palencia fell 15 votes short Wednesday. In proceedings described by the Correistas as a “trial of the government of Daniel Noboa,” Palencia was charged with failure to fulfill her duties, especially in the fight against organized crime.

Following the final vote, Palcencia said she was relieved that the “political charade” was over and looked forward to getting back to “working for the people of Ecuador.”

Leader of the impeachment effort Leonardo Berrezueta focused on continuing high crime rates in the country and the government’s raid on the Mexican embassy to capture former vice president Jorge Glas as failures of Palencia’s policies and administration. He called the Assembly trial “a crucial instance for the defense of institutionality and respect for fundamental rights.”

Assemblyman Ramiro Vela, member of Noboa’s National Democratic Action, called the impeachment attempt a “shameful show and another failure of Correismo” to regain political control. “The irony is that the Correistas are partners with the criminal organizations that they accuse the Interior Minister of failing to defeat,” he said. “The real trial is for Correa’s buddies in the Metastasis case.”

More power on the way
President Daniel Noboa increased the government’s estimate of new electric generation it will add to the power grid by mid-2025. In a press statement, the president said 1,598 megawatts will be incorporated, more than 700 by the end of the year. “All efforts are being made to boost the national power supply and we will soon see the benefit of these additions,” he said.

Noboa listed 13 power plants that will go online soon, including three already operating. Four of the plants listed are currently out of service and undergoing repairs. All plants are thermally powered by natural gas and diesel fuel.