The Brazilian Amazon had a record of 3,158 fires last February, a number that almost doubles the worst records for this month, which are the 1,761 fires that occurred in 2007, according to official data released this Friday.
The data is surprising because it occurs in the middle of the rainy season and contrasts with the 734 fires recorded in February 2023, but it is much lower than the number of fires that are recorded in the dry season, according to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE, for example). its acronym in Portuguese).
The most critical situation occurred in the state of Roraima, bordering Venezuela and Guyana, where 2,057 fires were recorded, the 65% of the total.
The Yanomami and Raposa Terra do Sol indigenous lands, both located in Roraima, are among the areas most affected by the fires, according to INPE data.
In fighting the fire, the Brazilian Government has deployed nearly 300 people, including 253 fire brigades, as well as four helicopters and 37 vehicles, according to data from the Brazilian Environment Institute (Ibama).
Ibama reported that since the end of 2023 it has hired 181 new brigade members to work in the region, the vast majority made up of indigenous people from Roraima.
Environment Minister Marina Silva said Thursday during a ceremony in Roraima that the increase in fires in the region is due to a “terrible combination” of the El Niño weather phenomenon, the “criminal arson and climate change”.
The spokesperson for Greenpeace Brazil, Rômulo Batista, stated this Friday that fire prevention and forest burning programs in the Amazon “they are insufficient.”
In a statement, Batista pointed out that there are “shortage of people, resources and materials, which is even more serious at a time of climate crisis, when scientists predict an increase in both the number and intensity of droughts in the Amazon.”
In the first two months of 2024, 5,207 fires have accumulated in the Brazilian Amazon, while last year there were 98,646 heat sources in the region.
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
