Brazilian Amazon sees dramatic surge in forest fires this year
Date
8/15/2024 4:37:14 AM
(MENAFN) The Brazilian Amazon has experienced a dramatic surge in forest fires this year, with over 37,000 fires recorded so far, marking the highest number in nearly two decades. According to satellite data released on Wednesday by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), this figure represents a 111 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Since INPE began tracking data in 1998, only the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 saw more fires during this timeframe.
From January 1 to August 13, the Brazilian Amazon has recorded a total of 37,835 fires. The situation is exacerbated by the effects of a historic drought that affected the region between June and November of the previous year. This drought created conditions conducive to fires, which have also impacted the Pantanal—a vast tropical wetland located south of the rainforest.
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) reported last week that the hot, dry, and windy conditions fueling these fires in the Pantanal were "40 percent more intense due to climate change." This intensification of fire conditions poses a significant challenge to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration, which faces the difficult task of addressing rising fire numbers even as deforestation rates, which contribute to global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, are decreasing.
President Lula has committed to ending illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, a stark shift from the policies of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, under whom deforestation significantly worsened. The current rise in fires highlights the urgent need for effective environmental policies and climate action to combat both deforestation and the broader impacts of climate change.
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