Brazilian Amazon burning at an unprecedented rate

An unprecedented number of forest fires is enveloping the Amazon Basin, the world's largest rainforest.

While such fires are not uncommon in Brazil in the dry season, the scale and number witnessed in recent weeks has set new records. Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, INPE, has announced that it detected more than 74,000 fires between January and August – the highest number since records began – and more than 9,500 since 15 August, most of which were in the Amazon region. INPE added that its satellite data showed an 84 per cent increase in fires on the same period in 2018.

Smoke from wildfires in the Amazon spreads across several Brazilian states, as shown in this natural-colour image (NASA).

There is widespread concern among conservationists, both in Brazil and worldwide, surrounding recently elected Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's environmental policy, which seems to favour development and benefiting the agribusiness industry at all costs – in the run up to his election and subsequently, the far-right leader has vowed to develop the Amazon region for farming and mining, ignoring international concern over increased deforestation.

As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon Basin is a vital carbon store helps to mitigate the pace of climate change. However, scientists say that the Amazon has suffered from accelerated deforestation rates since Bolsonaro took office in January. Only last month, the president accused INPE's director of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon and trying to undermine the government after INPE published data showing an 88 per cent increase in deforestation there in June compared to the same month a year ago. Bolsonaro then sacked him on the basis of the "made up numbers".

Forest in the Brazilian state of Rondônia being burned in September 2016 (Gabriel Uchida).

Despite Bolsonaro trying to brush off the claims, satellite imagery has shown the northernmost state of Roraima covered in dark smoke. The Amazonas capital Manaus has been on environmental alert since Friday 16th due to smoke and fires. Wildfires have become more frequent in Mato Grosso and Para, two states where Brazil's agricultural frontier has pushed into the Amazon basin and spurred deforestation. Brazil's most populous city, São Paulo, was plunged into darkness in the middle of the day on Monday 19th as smoke travelling from wildlfires in remote Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay blocked out the sun.

Bolsonaro has since (on Wednesday 21st) accused non-governmental organizations of burning down the Amazon rainforest to hurt his government, as a growing global outcry against the wildfires raged through social media. Presented without evidence and disputed by environmental and climate experts, Bolsonaro's sensational accusations enraged critics and fanned a growing social media campaign – #PrayforAmazonas was the world's top trending topic on Twitter on Wednesday

Scientists were also quick to point out that Amazonian fires should not occur naturally. "Wildfires in the Amazon are not natural events, but are instead caused by a combination of droughts and human activities. Both anthropogenic climate change and regional deforestation are linked to increases in the intensity and frequency of droughts over Amazonia," British researchers wrote earlier this year on The Conversation website.

Farmers having been starting blazes deliberately in order to clear large tracts of land for farming cattle and growing crops, with this 'slash and burn' method unfortunately still prevalent in the dry season every year. With INPE confirming that there is nothing abnormal about the climate this year or the rainfall in the Amazon region, which is just a little below average, it appears that Bolsonaro's gung-ho attitude has given farmers the confidence to start more fires and avoid punishment, thus leading to a rapid increase in the number of blazes reported in 2019.

Scientists have warned that losing another fifth of Brazil's rainforest has the potential to trigger a feedback loop known as dieback, in which the forest begins to dry out and burn in a cascading system collapse, beyond the reach of any subsequent human intervention or regret. This would release a doomsday bomb of stored carbon, as well as all but destroy the Amazon biome. The climatic effects of this would be far-reaching and almost certainly result in intense pressures on humanity.

*World Weather* Another view of daytime skies turning to night (at 3 pm) in Sao Paulo, Brazil - covered with smoke from wildfires in the Amazon region, hundreds to thousands of km away. August 20th. Report: @MidiaNINJA pic.twitter.com/axhj1FIaYR

— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) August 21, 2019