During 2024.. a significant increase in green spaces destroyed by fires in Brazil

Green areas destroyed by fires in Brazil increased by 79% in 2024, reaching 30.8 million hectares, which is larger than the area of ​​Italy, according to a report by the “Map Biomas” platform.

This is the largest area burned in Brazil in one year since 2019.

The Amazon, a huge natural area with an important ecosystem for climate regulation, was the most affected, as fires destroyed about 17.9 million hectares, or 58% of the total, and more than the total area burned in the country in 2023, according to the study.

140 thousand fires

The year 2024 was unusual and worrying, says Anne Alencar, a coordinator at the Biomass Fire Map, a monitoring platform for the Brazilian Climate Observatory.

According to official data, more than 140,000 fires were recorded in 2024, which is the highest level in 17 years and represents an increase of 42% compared to 2023.

Scientists believe that the size of these fires is linked to climate warming, which makes plants drier, making it easier for fires to spread.

But fires are almost always arson.

High rate of burned forests

Alencar particularly warned of the fires that affected forests, which are essential for capturing the carbon responsible for climate warming. 8.5 million hectares were destroyed in 2024, compared to 2.2 million hectares in 2023.

For the first time in the Amazon, the rate of forests burned was higher than grasslands.

“This is a negative indicator, because once a forest succumbs to a fire, it remains highly vulnerable to new fires,” Alencar said.

These results are especially bad for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at a time when the city of Belem in the Amazon is scheduled to host the COP30 climate conference next November.

Action to contain the environmental crisis

Deforestation fell by more than 30% year-on-year as of August, according to official statistics, the lowest level in nine years.
Lula made environmental protection one of his priorities.

In September, Lula acknowledged that Brazil was not “fully prepared” to combat a wave of forest fires.

Some use burning to clear fields designated for crops or livestock, or they set fire to certain areas of forests to illegally seize land.

Alencar stressed that “the effects of this destruction confirm the urgent need to take action to contain the environmental crisis that has been exacerbated by harsh climate conditions resulting from human activities, as was the case last year.”