Hydropower Was Its Answer to Climate Change. Until the Rivers Ran Dry.

Just a decade ago, the small, resource-rich nation of Ecuador was embarking on a bold transition to hydroelectric power.

It was one of many South American countries betting that their abundant rivers, harnessed by dams, could satisfy growing energy needs — and help drive economic expansion, lifting millions from poverty and leading the way into a new era of prosperity.

Today, those grand designs are colliding with a warming climate.

Ecuador has been pummeled by an extraordinary drought, exacerbated by global warming, that has engulfed much of South America, drying rivers and reservoirs and putting the country’s power grid on the brink of collapse.

Since September, daily energy cuts have lasted as long as 14 hours. Highways have turned an inky black; entire neighborhoods have lost running water, even internet and cell service. One industry group says the nation is losing $12 million in productivity and sales for every hour power is out.

Jacobo Flórez, 8, needed to do his homework one night, but the power was out again. So he climbed on his kitchen table to hang the family’s one battery-powered light.

“My country is adrift,” said Gabriela Jijón, 46, who owns an ice cream shop outside Quito, the capital.