Brazil celebrates Amazon Day, but the rainforest is facing a serious climate emergency caused by the worst drought in decades and a high number of fires (68,000 in August).
This Thursday, Brazil celebrates Amazon Day, at a time when the world’s largest tropical rainforest is experiencing a serious climate emergency caused by the worst drought in recent decades and a high number of fires affecting a large part of the Brazilian Amazon states.
According to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), The country is facing its worst fire crisis since 2010, with 68,000 fires recorded across the country in August alone.
One of the regions with the most outbreaks is the Amazon, where the flames are advancing alongside a severe drought that has forced states such as Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondónia and Mato Grosso to declare an environmental or public health emergency.
The situation of forest fires in the Amazon is considered serious in at least 37 municipalitieswhich recorded more than 1,000 outbreaks in one week, according to INPE.
The August data also indicate that two cities in the state of Pará, where the Amazon National Park is located, lead the ranking: São Félix do Xingu, with 1,443 outbreaks, and Altamira, where 1,102 were identified.
Overall, fires in the Brazilian Amazon increased by 120% in August compared to the same month last year.
“We are facing a severe process of climate change. The forest is losing moisture, which makes it vulnerable to fires. “whether by human action or, in the future, by natural phenomena, such as lightning,” Environment Minister Marina Silva told the Senate’s Environment Committee (CMA) on Thursday, as quoted by Correio Brasiliense.
Fires are not the only weather phenomenon affecting Brazil. According to the National Centre for Monitoring Natural Disasters, the country is also facing its worst drought since 1950.
The Santo Antonio hydroelectric power plant in Porto Velho, capital of the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon, was forced to shut down some of its units “due to lack of sufficient water in the river,” according to the National Electric System Operator.
The Madeira River, which supplies the power plant, reached its lowest level in history this week, at 1.02 metres, and, according to the Geological Service, there is no forecast of rain for the region, which could aggravate the water crisis.
Source: Observadora
