A firefighter works to put out fires in the Brasilia National Forest, Brazil
The dry season sees a particularly high number of firesImage: Eraldo Peres/AP Photo/picture alliance
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During the first nine months of 2024, 22.38 million hectares of land in Brazil were ravaged by fires, a new report published on Friday showed.
It is about 2.6% of Brazil’s landmass, roughly comparable to the size of Belarus.
The MapBiomas initiative report was compiled by universities, NGOs, and tech companies by analyzing satellite images and other data.
Amazon hit the hardest
“The dry season in the Amazon, which usually runs from June to October, has been particularly severe this year, further aggravating the fire crisis in the region — a reflection of the intensification of climate change, which ends up playing a crucial role in the spread of fires,” Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director and coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo said.
More than 50% of the burned area was in the Amazon rainforest, also known as the “lungs of the planet.”
About 5.5 million hectares burned in September this year alone, a rise of 196% from the same month last year.
The Cerrado water reservoir, which is home to approximately 5% of the planet’s flora and fauna, experienced fires affecting 4.3 million hectares of land in September. This was a rise of 158% from last year.
The Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, experienced a 662% increase in fires compared to last September.
Brazil faces worst fires in 14 years
A report said 22.38 million of landmass in Brazil caught fire in 2024. The area is comparable to the size of Belarus.
A firefighter works to put out fires in the Brasilia National Forest, Brazil
During the first nine months of 2024, 22.38 million hectares of land in Brazil were ravaged by fires, a new report published on Friday showed.
It is about 2.6% of Brazil’s landmass, roughly comparable to the size of Belarus.
The MapBiomas initiative report was compiled by universities, NGOs, and tech companies by analyzing satellite images and other data.
Amazon hit the hardest
“The dry season in the Amazon, which usually runs from June to October, has been particularly severe this year, further aggravating the fire crisis in the region — a reflection of the intensification of climate change, which ends up playing a crucial role in the spread of fires,” Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director and coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo said.
More than 50% of the burned area was in the Amazon rainforest, also known as the “lungs of the planet.”
About 5.5 million hectares burned in September this year alone, a rise of 196% from the same month last year.
The Cerrado water reservoir, which is home to approximately 5% of the planet’s flora and fauna, experienced fires affecting 4.3 million hectares of land in September. This was a rise of 158% from last year.
The Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, experienced a 662% increase in fires compared to last September.
