Latest News

Fires in Brazil's Amazon jungle for July surge to greatest in two decades

The number of fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest region rose to a record high for the month of July in practically twenty years, government information showed on Thursday, in the middle of a drought in the area fanned by climate modification.

The Amazon, the world's largest rain forest, plays an important role in curbing international warming due to the fact that of the huge quantities of greenhouse gas it absorbs.

Satellites discovered 11,434 fire hotspots in the Amazon in July, the biggest number for that month since 2005, data from Brazil's National Institute for Area Research (Inpe) showed.

Fire hotspots are the fastest indication of the state of fires in the area, however do not indicate the severity of the blazes.

Slower and more accurate data through June that tracks the location burned revealed 17,582 square km (6,788 square miles) have burned in the Amazon, the largest area given that 2003.

The drought in the Amazon since in 2015 means there is more dried out greenery to feed the fires, which frequently peak in between late August and completion of September.

Unlike in the western United States or the Mediterranean, fires in the damp Amazon rain forest do not take place naturally however are ignited by individuals, typically farmers seeking to clear land to cultivate soy or raise cattle.

On Wednesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed into law a brand-new policy to control fires during a visit to the Pantanal wetlands, which borders the Amazon and is likewise experiencing extreme fires previously than typical.

The brand-new bill forbids the practice of setting fires to damage forests or other native plant life for agriculture or other alternative use, with restricted exceptions. Lula said on X. that the law would likewise enhance firefighting.

Lula has promised to bring back Brazil's environmental. credentials after years of surging deforestation, committing to. stop logging by 2030.

Beyond Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela are likewise. experiencing record fires in their parts of the Amazon.

(source: Reuters)