Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest surged to the highest number for September in almost a decade and a half, according to preliminary government data released on Tuesday. This marks the third consecutive month of increasing fires, following similar highs in the two preceding months.
A prolonged drought across much of South America, linked to climate change, has intensified the fires in Amazonia this year. At times, smoke from the blazes has covered more than half of the continent, significantly impacting air quality and public health.
Satellites detected 41,463 fire hot spots in Brazil's Amazon in September, the largest number for that month since 2010, data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) showed. The first nine months of the year have also seen the worst fire activity since 2007.
A Reuters reporter traveling to Santarem in the Amazonian state of Pará observed hundreds of miles of haze, with Pará recording the highest number of fire hot spots for September since 2007. The state, home to the mouth of the Amazon River, will host the United Nations COP30 climate summit next year. Extremely low water levels in the Amazon basin have left large swathes of sandy river banks dry, exacerbating the fire conditions.
Unlike natural occurrences, fires in the lush Amazon are primarily set by people seeking to clear land for farming or ranching. Andre GuimarĂŁes, an executive director at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Imazon), explained, \"People are taking advantage of the fact that the forests are more flammable now, to burn them down, and then grab the land later on.\"
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has condemned the fires as \"criminal,\" and the federal police have announced an expansion of efforts to combat environmental crimes in the Amazon and other regions. From January through August, 62,268 square kilometers have burned in Brazil's Amazon, according to Inpe data.
Fires typically peak in August and September when the region experiences its driest conditions, but improvements are expected in the coming weeks as the rainy season arrives.
Reference(s):
Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest region surge for third month
cgtn.com
