Record-breaking wildfires blanket Brazil with smoke
1 year, 2 months ago

Record-breaking wildfires blanket Brazil with smoke

Salon  

A record-breaking number of wildfires are blanketing the Amazon with smoke, choking some Brazilian cities and further isolating many Indigenous villages. Water levels in the region’s major rivers have become so low as to be unnavigable, leaving many Indigenous river communities without any way to obtain certain foods, drinking water, or medicine, according to Reuters. “We’ve seen large fish kills, water levels dropping way faster than normal — lake levels, river levels, like, six meters below what would be expected at this time of year — and definitely the potential for it to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.” On Wednesday, Indigenous tribes in the region called for the Brazilian government to take more formal action. But while Lula’s administration has upheld Indigenous rights by restoring land in the rainforest and the Brazilian Supreme Court struck down a challenge to Indigenous land rights last month, deforestation remains a major concern. “But global warming is changing climate all over the world, including here in the Amazon.” El Niño, climate change, and extreme heat El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon that fuels above-average global heat and more intense natural disasters in parts of the world.

Climate Change Global Warming Climate Water Indigenous Brazil Brazilian El Niño Manaus Macedo Niño  blanket  water  wildfires  indigenous  state  macedo  change  niño  manaus  el  brazil  climate  recordbreaking  warming  smoke

History of this topic

As COP 29 begins, take a climate change reality check: Supercharged hurricanes, volcanic surge, oceanic slowdown, more
1 month, 1 week ago

As COP 29 begins, take a climate change reality check: Supercharged hurricanes, volcanic surge, oceanic slowdown, more

Live Mint  

This year's U.N. climate summit - COP29 - is being held during yet another record-breaking year of higher global temperatures, adding pressure to negotiations aimed at curbing climate change. The last global scientific consensus on climate change was released in 2021 through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, however scientists say that evidence shows global warming and its impacts are …

Firefighters battle wildfires choking Brazilian capital
3 months, 1 week ago

Firefighters battle wildfires choking Brazilian capital

Al Jazeera  

Firefighters have been battling wildfires spreading through a national park in Brazil and choking the capital, Brasilia, in smoke. More than 490 firefighters on Monday were trying to extinguish blazes that have already burned through 2,000 hectares of the Brasilia National Park conservation area. The fire “spread very quickly because of wind speed, low humidity, and it is very hot,” …

As Bolivia wildfires rage, smoke turns day into night
3 months, 1 week ago

As Bolivia wildfires rage, smoke turns day into night

The Hindu  

In the lowland Bolivian region of Santa Cruz, being gripped by some of its worst wildfires on record, nurse Raúl Gutiérrez said that the acrid sting of smoke almost never goes away and day has started to look almost like night. While the fires have been raging for weeks, in recent days the smoke over cities like Santa Cruz and …

Amid the worst drought in Brazil history, wildfires rage and the Amazon falls to a record low level
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Amid the worst drought in Brazil history, wildfires rage and the Amazon falls to a record low level

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Brazil is enduring its worst …

Smoke from Brazil fires clouds major cities, neighboring countries
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Smoke from Brazil fires clouds major cities, neighboring countries

Hindustan Times  

Smoke from intense wildfires in the Amazon rainforest and other parts of Brazil was choking major cities, like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Monday, and wafting into neighboring countries. Smoke from Brazil fires clouds major cities, neighboring countries Karla Longo, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research, said that satellite images showed that 60 percent of …

Brazilian heat waves fueled by climate change are flaming the rainforest at highest rate in 14 years
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Brazilian heat waves fueled by climate change are flaming the rainforest at highest rate in 14 years

Salon  

Days after Brazilians sweltered under scorching heat, panted through a parching drought and choked from wildfire smoke, scientists anticipate temperatures in Brazil to linger between 35º C and 40º C all week — equivalent to 95º F to 104º F. The temperatures are expected to reach these blistering heights primarily in the Central West region, which includes large cities like …

People in Brazil’s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires
3 months, 3 weeks ago

People in Brazil’s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires

Associated Press  

MANAUS, Brazil — Smoke from wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest Wednesday was causing people in the region to cough, burning their throats and reddening their eyes. I am feeling short of breath, my throat hurts, my eyes need eye drops, I can’t go out on the street, I can’t go anywhere because everything is white with smoke,” Silva told The …

People in Brazil’s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires
3 months, 3 weeks ago

People in Brazil’s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Smoke from wildfires in Brazil's …

Wildfires in Brazil leave at least 2 dead in Sao Paulo sate. Dozens of cities are on high alert
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Wildfires in Brazil leave at least 2 dead in Sao Paulo sate. Dozens of cities are on high alert

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wildfires in Brazil's southern Sao …

Wildfires in Brazil leave at least 2 dead
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Wildfires in Brazil leave at least 2 dead

Deccan Chronicle  

SAO PAULO: Wildfires in Brazil's southern Sao Paulo state have killed at least two people, officials said Saturday. The fires have raged in the region outside the city of Sao Paulo, one of Latin America's most populous cities with more than 11 million residents. At least 7,300 government workers and volunteers had been deployed across the state to “contain the …

Wildfires in southern Brazil kill 2 people and leave dozens of cities on high alert
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Wildfires in southern Brazil kill 2 people and leave dozens of cities on high alert

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Wildfires in Brazil’s southern Sao Paulo state have killed at least two people, officials said Saturday. Smoke from wildfires fills the air near above the Mario Donega highway in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. Burnt trees lie next to condominiums as wildfires rage in Sao Paulo state in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, Sunday, …

Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands fire season hasn’t officially started but it’s already breaking records
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands fire season hasn’t officially started but it’s already breaking records

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s massive Pantanal wetlands haven’t technically entered annual fire season, but already the number of blazes has broken records and is leading experts to predict this year will be the most devastating in decades. “We are facing one of the worst situations ever seen in the Pantanal,” Environment Minister Marina Silva told journalists Monday, adding that the …

Fires ravage Brazil wetlands, incinerating snakes and monkeys
6 months, 1 week ago

Fires ravage Brazil wetlands, incinerating snakes and monkeys

The Hindu  

The scorched carcasses of monkeys, snakes and caimans dot the charred expanses of the once-green Brazilian Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetlands. The El Nino weather pattern, supercharged by climate change, has dried the area's rivers and disrupted its usual seasonal flooding, leaving the ecosystem vulnerable to fires. This year is threatening to overtake 2020 as the Pantanal's worst year …

Brazil's Amazon fires off to record 2024 start as green union blames firefighting budget cut
7 months ago

Brazil's Amazon fires off to record 2024 start as green union blames firefighting budget cut

The Hindu  

Brazil's Amazon rainforest has experienced its largest blazes on record in the first four months of the year, with the environmental workers union on Monday placing partial blame on lower government spending on firefighting. A record drought in the Amazon rainforest region, driven by the El Nino climate phenomenon and global warming, has helped contribute to dry conditions fueling fires …

A Brazilian state in the Amazon has been hit with more than 2,000 fires in February
9 months, 3 weeks ago

A Brazilian state in the Amazon has been hit with more than 2,000 fires in February

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian state of Roraima in the Amazon rainforest has been hit with more than 2,000 fires in February, according to data released Thursday by the state space agency. Fires are also burning down forest inside the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, Júnior Hekurari, president of the Yanomami local health council, told The Associated Press. Earlier this month, …

Chile risks repeat of deadly wildfires because of climate change, report says
10 months ago

Chile risks repeat of deadly wildfires because of climate change, report says

The Hindu  

Deadly wildfires like those that burned through central Chile and killed at least 133 people this month will become more likely in the South American country as climate change makes the world hotter and drier, according to a report released on Thursday. The report from World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists that studies the effects of climate change …

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile's
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile's

The Hindu  

At least 123 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the …

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s

LA Times  

At least 131 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the …

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s

Associated Press  

At least 123 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the …

In the Amazon, millions breathe hazardous air as drought and wildfires spread through the rainforest
1 year, 2 months ago

In the Amazon, millions breathe hazardous air as drought and wildfires spread through the rainforest

The Hindu  

Thick smoke has enveloped extensive areas of the Brazilian Amazon on Thursday as the region grapples with a surge in wildfires and a historic drought. In Manaus, a city of 2 million, air quality ranked among the worst globally, leading to the suspension of college classes and the cancellation of various activities, including an international marathon. The city’s air quality …

In the Amazon, millions breathe hazardous air as drought and wildfires spread through the rainforest
1 year, 2 months ago

In the Amazon, millions breathe hazardous air as drought and wildfires spread through the rainforest

Associated Press  

BRASILIA, Brazil — Thick smoke has enveloped extensive areas of the Brazilian Amazon on Thursday as the region grapples with a surge in wildfires and a historic drought. The city’s air quality index fluctuated between unhealthy and hazardous levels during the last two days, resembling the conditions in some major Asian metropolitan areas. Luiz Diego Pinheiro Ferreira, 30, walks near …

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave
1 year, 3 months ago

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — Firefighters on Thursday were battling flames in Brazil’s northeastern Bahia state, fanned by strong winds and abnormally high temperatures for the season, authorities said. State authorities said they have mobilized over 150 military firefighters to put out fires in different areas across the state, as well as in Chapada Diamantina, a national park known for its …

Australian bushfires may have helped trigger La Nina
1 year, 7 months ago

Australian bushfires may have helped trigger La Nina

The Hindu  

Australia's "Black Summer" bushfire catastrophe coughed up so much smoke it may have fuelled the global onset of La Nina in 2020, according to new research published Thursday. The "Black Summer" bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing swathes of forest, killing millions of animals, and blanketing cities in noxious smoke. A rare "triple-dip" …

Under Bolsonaro, Amazon deforestation hits new September record
2 years, 2 months ago

Under Bolsonaro, Amazon deforestation hits new September record

Al Jazeera  

So far in 2022, farmers and ranchers clear area 11 times the size of New York City in Brazilian Amazon for agribusiness, with little regulation. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has broken a record for the month of September, continuing a trend that has accelerated during the tenure of the country’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. The news of accelerating deforestation …

Worst Brazil forest fires in a decade, yet election silence
2 years, 2 months ago

Worst Brazil forest fires in a decade, yet election silence

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — September has come and gone, marking another painful milestone for the world’s largest rainforest. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is seeking a second four-year term against leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who ruled Brazil between 2003 and 2010 and leads in the polls. “On the other hand, there are growing economic opportunities related to conservation.” Fire …

Worst Brazil forest fires in a decade, yet election silence
2 years, 2 months ago

Worst Brazil forest fires in a decade, yet election silence

LA Times  

September has come and gone, marking another painful milestone for the world’s largest rainforest. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is seeking a second four-year term against leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, who ruled between 2003 and 2010 and leads in the polls. “On the other hand, there are growing economic opportunities related to conservation.” Fire …

‘Tragedy foretold’: Brazil sees surge in Amazon fires
2 years, 3 months ago

‘Tragedy foretold’: Brazil sees surge in Amazon fires

Al Jazeera  

More forest fires have been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon so far this year than in all of 2021, data from INPE space agency shows. Brazil’s sprawling Amazon region has seen more forest fires so far this year than in all of 2021, official figures show, as environmental and Indigenous rights groups continue to plead for more protection of the …

Number of Brazil Amazon fires hits five-year high in August
2 years, 3 months ago

Number of Brazil Amazon fires hits five-year high in August

Associated Press  

MANAUS, Brazil — More fires burned in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest this August than in any month in nearly five years, thanks to a surge in illegal deforestation. After a calm period with unusually high rainfall in early August, blazes began spreading rapidly, said Ane Alencar, coordinator of the Mapbiomas Fire project, run by a network of nonprofits, universities and …

Brazilian Amazon's worst-in-a-decade August wildfires captured in pictures
2 years, 3 months ago

Brazilian Amazon's worst-in-a-decade August wildfires captured in pictures

Hindustan Times  

Brazilian Amazon's worst-in-a-decade August wildfires captured in pictures Surpassing the 2019 Amazon August wildfires that shocked the world, this year's wildfires in Brazilian rainforest have hit a record, becoming the highest for the month since 2010. Experts have blamed President Bolsonaro for poor regulation of environmental laws which has paved way for large scale deforestation resulting into wildfires at an …

Deforestation spurs wave of fires in Brazilian Amazon
2 years, 3 months ago

Deforestation spurs wave of fires in Brazilian Amazon

Al Jazeera  

Agribusiness interests push record deforestation, contributing to fire activity that has not been seen in years. The Brazilian Amazon rainforest is suffering from more fires than at any point in nearly five years, spurred on by a surge in illegal deforestation. According to Brazil’s national space institute, satellites have detected more than 33,000 fires as the rainforest enters the peak …

How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires
2 years, 5 months ago

How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires

Al Jazeera  

The searing heat is part of a global pattern of rising temperatures, attributed by scientists to human activity. “Every heatwave that we are experiencing today has been made hotter and more frequent because of climate change,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who also co-leads the World Weather Attribution research collaboration. Fingerprints of climate change To …

Everywhere is on fire. Here’s why the climate crisis is to blame
2 years, 5 months ago

Everywhere is on fire. Here’s why the climate crisis is to blame

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And the climate crisis could make these intesne fire years far more normal, drought and heatwaves – two of …

Wildfires to increase up to 30 per cent by 2050: experts
2 years, 10 months ago

Wildfires to increase up to 30 per cent by 2050: experts

The Hindu  

Exhausted firefighters have been battling blazes in northern Argentina for weeks. "At the same time, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by ravaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like peatlands and rainforests," said the authors of the report. That destruction — to crops and homes, human health and the natural environment — means wildfires "disproportionately affect the world's poorest …

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns
2 years, 10 months ago

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns

NPR  

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns Enlarge this image toggle caption Ivan Nikiforov/AP Ivan Nikiforov/AP BILLINGS, Mont. — A warming planet and changes to land use patterns mean more wildfires will scorch large parts of the globe in coming decades, causing spikes in unhealthy smoke pollution and other problems that governments are ill prepared to confront, according to …

Brazil’s Amazon records least September fires in 20 years
3 years, 2 months ago

Brazil’s Amazon records least September fires in 20 years

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — The number of fires in Brazil’s Amazon during September dropped to the lowest for the month in two decades, according to data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research. September is historically Brazil’s worst month for forest fires and, while the data is positive, environmental experts question whether the trend will be confirmed by coming …

Has Brazil’s Amazon reached a point of no return?
3 years, 3 months ago

Has Brazil’s Amazon reached a point of no return?

Al Jazeera  

On Monday, September 13 at 19:30 GMT: With the continued deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon, conservation advocates say the world’s largest tropical forest is in the midst of a tipping point that could become catastrophic for the planet’s health and the country’s Indigenous groups. Despite a ban on unauthorised fires and yet another military deployment intended to protect the forests, …

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon drops for the 2nd month
3 years, 3 months ago

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon drops for the 2nd month

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped for the second consecutive month in August compared to the same period in 2020, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research. Forest destruction in August reached 918 square kilometers, the lowest indicator for the month since 2018 and 32% less than in 2020, …

Brazil’s Amazon deforestation remains high despite slight fall
3 years, 3 months ago

Brazil’s Amazon deforestation remains high despite slight fall

Al Jazeera  

August deforestation was lower than last year, but rates remain much higher than before Bolsonaro took office. Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fell in August compared with the same period a year earlier, continuing a downward trend while remaining higher than before right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office. Year-to-date deforestation in Brazil remains nearly double what it was during January …

Data raises concerns as Brazil’s forest fire season begins
3 years, 4 months ago

Data raises concerns as Brazil’s forest fire season begins

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — Severe drought and early data are raising concerns that this forest fire season in Brazil will see the same high levels of destruction recorded in the past two years, despite efforts to tamp down the blazes. With Brazil’s forest fire season underway, the government space agency that uses satellites to monitor fires reported more area burned …

Brazil forest fire season underway and raising concern
3 years, 4 months ago

Brazil forest fire season underway and raising concern

Associated Press  

RIO DE JANEIRO — The season of Brazilian forest fires has begun, and early data plus severe drought is sparking concern that nationwide destruction in 2021 will stay at the high levels recorded in the past two years, despite efforts to tamp down the blazes. Brazil is home to the world’s largest rainforest and tropical wetlands — the Amazon and …

Brazil issues fire ban, redeploys military to fight Amazon blazes
3 years, 5 months ago

Brazil issues fire ban, redeploys military to fight Amazon blazes

Al Jazeera  

Similar orders did little in past years to stop deforestation and illegal logging in the critical Amazon rainforest. As Brazil reels from its worst drought in decades, President Jair Bolsonaro has issued a broad 120-day ban on unauthorised outdoor fires ahead of the annual burning season in the Amazon rainforest. Bolsonaro has been widely criticised for his “exploitative” approach to …

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest jump in October
4 years, 1 month ago

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest jump in October

Al Jazeera  

Government agency records 17,326 hot spots in the rainforest in October, more than double the number of fires last year. Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surged in October and the number of blazes is up 25 percent in the first 10 months of 2020, compared with a year ago, data from government space research agency INPE showed. The agency recorded …

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon worst in 10 years, data shows
4 years, 2 months ago

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon worst in 10 years, data shows

Al Jazeera  

Fires in the world’s largest rainforest rose 13 percent in the first nine months of the year compared with a year ago, space research agency reports. Both August and September of 2020 have matched or surpassed last year’s single-month high, and fires have increased 13 percent in the first nine months of the year compared with 2019. It’s already worse …

Brazil’s Bolsonaro rejects Biden’s offer of $20 billion to protect the Amazon
4 years, 2 months ago

Brazil’s Bolsonaro rejects Biden’s offer of $20 billion to protect the Amazon

CNN  

CNN — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has slammed US presidential candidate Joe Biden for his remarks about the Amazon rainforest during Tuesday’s presidential debate, saying it was “difficult to understand such a disastrous and unnecessary declaration.” Bolsonaro, an ally of President Donald Trump, tweeted on Wednesday saying Biden “stated yesterday that he could pay us as much as US$20 billion …

Tens of Thousands of Fires are Pushing the Amazon to a Tipping Point
4 years, 3 months ago

Tens of Thousands of Fires are Pushing the Amazon to a Tipping Point

News 18  

Fires continue to rage at high levels through the Amazon in Brazil for the second consecutive year, raising concerns among scientists that the rainforest’s destruction could eventually reach a point of no return. Since Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office, governmental measures to curb illegal fires have shown little impact, as flames and deforestation erase vast swathes of the world’s …

Unchecked fires could turn the Amazon into a savannah
4 years, 3 months ago

Unchecked fires could turn the Amazon into a savannah

CNN  

CNN — Fires continue to rage at high levels through the Amazon in Brazil for the second consecutive year, raising concerns among scientists that the rainforest’s destruction could eventually reach a point of no return. Since Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office, governmental measures to curb illegal fires have shown little impact, as flames and deforestation erase vast swathes of …

Brazil faces renewed pressure to protect Amazon rainforest
4 years, 3 months ago

Brazil faces renewed pressure to protect Amazon rainforest

Al Jazeera  

As Brazilians mark Amazon Day, rights groups say an ‘alarming’ number of wildfires has been detected in the region. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under renewed criticism over widespread wildfires in the country’s Amazon rainforest, which rights groups say have reached an “alarming” level so far this year. A group of environmental NGOs launched a website called Defund Bolsonaro this …

Amazon fires have been miscalculated and are actually the worst in a decade
4 years, 3 months ago

Amazon fires have been miscalculated and are actually the worst in a decade

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The official data for August on the number of fires in Brazil's Amazon has been …

Global fires are up 13% from 2019’s record-breaking numbers
4 years, 3 months ago

Global fires are up 13% from 2019’s record-breaking numbers

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Fire outbreaks around the globe are up 13 per cent this year on 2019’s record-breaking …

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