Fires in Brazil’s Amazon have erupted in September, with the month marking the worst increase in the Amazon rainforest fires ever since last decade, according to Brazil government’s data.
According to a Reuters report, the fire alerts this year till now are 82,872, exceeding the 75,090 observed in 2021.
As per INPE, the National Space Research Agency reported 36,850 fire alerts only in September, which is 120% more than the same period last year.
According to INPE’s satellite data, dating back to 1998, they have already surpassed the monthly average of 32,110 fires.
Mariana Napolitano, WWF-Brazil’s science manager stated that “fires are not a natural phenomenon in the Amazon rainforest. These burnings are related to human activities, often illegal, and degradation levels that make it more susceptible to fires.”
Brazilians will vote to decide whether to give President Jair Bolsonaro a second term or not on October 2 as he has weakened environmental safeguards and deforestation in the Amazon has reached a 15-year high.
A former INPE director, Ricardo Galvao, also showed his concern by tweeting that Brazil used to be a world benchmark in tracking national forests, but the government has dismantled the responsible agencies.
Fires in the Amazon typically peak in August and September, when rains abate and ranchers and farmers set fire to deforested areas.
