Brazil's northernmost state of Roraima is experiencing an alarming surge in wildfires, posing a severe threat to the Yanomami Indigenous people. In just two months this year, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has identified 2,606 fires in Roraima, surpassing the total of 2,659 fires reported throughout all of 2023.
February alone saw a record-breaking 2,002 fire outbreaks in the state, making Roraima responsible for 29.5 percent of all fires in Brazil, according to INPE data. The Yanomami lands have been particularly affected, with at least 251 blazes recorded, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis already caused by illegal mining activities.
\"Since last year we've been feeling this big change. Air humidity is very low and this has also led to problems with illness in families, especially children, and the heat is really abnormal,\" said Tuxaua Cesar da Silva, an Indigenous leader from the Tabalascada community.
In response to the escalating situation, Brazil's federal government held emergency meetings in the state capital Boa Vista on Thursday to coordinate relief efforts. Environment Minister Marina Silva attributed the fires to a "terrible combination" of El Niño—a climatic phenomenon reducing rainfall in the region—as well as arson and broader climate change.
Under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, deforestation in the Amazon has seen a significant decline, halving in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching its lowest level since 2018. However, the recent fires in Roraima highlight the ongoing fragility of the Amazon ecosystem.
Greenpeace Brazil spokesperson Romulo Batista emphasized the need for better preparedness, stating, \"State and federal officials should have been better prepared to deal with the blazes as it was widely expected they would occur after a bruising drought last year.\" He added, \"Once the climate is as dry as it is, as hot as it is, it's also a time when there's more wind, all of which feeds the fire and makes it very difficult to put it out.\"
Reference(s):
Fires in northern Amazon state threaten Brazil's Yanomami people
cgtn.com
