Record fires in the Amazon: 156,000 square kilometers on fire!

Record fires in the Amazon: 156,000 square kilometers on fire!

In the Amazon area, the largest burned area has been registered with 156,000 square kilometers since the beginning of the recordings in 1985. These alarming numbers, which are reported by the Kleine Zeitung , are the result of a severe drought that was looking for Brazil last year. Experts indicate that the emerging fires are not natural events, but mostly of human origin. Felipe Martenexen, the Amazon coordinator of "Mapbiomae", explains that the combination of slightly inflammatory vegetation and low humidity has created ideal conditions for fire.

Trees are often felled, and the cleared areas are set on fire to create space for pasture areas and arable land for soy cultivation. In times of dryness, these fires often get out of control and have devastating effects on the ecosystem of the rainforest.

world climatic importance of the rainforest

The Amazonas has an immense importance for the world climate because it stores large amounts of CO2. Despite a decline in deforestation in Brazil by 32 percent last year, the situation remains critical. The ZDF emphasizes that the deforestation in the Amazon decreases continuously and has been at the lowest level since 2019. Nevertheless, the area of ​​the rainforest continues to be lost, which is due to the continued fires, which are largely caused by human activities.

The vice of the century is also critical, which threatens the water supply and results in uncontrolled forest fires at high temperatures. The Brazilian government has reinforced measures to monitor and control the deforestation, especially under the new administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but Brazil remains a long way off from the target of "zero deflection" by 2030.

Cooperation to combat the deforestation

With a view to the upcoming World Climate Conference Cop30 in November 2025, Brazil plans to prioritize the global protection of the forests. Under the previous government of Jair Bolsonaro, however, funds for environmental authorities were shortened, and illegal deforestation remained largely undisputed. In 2022, around 6.7 million hectares of tropical jungle were destroyed, which represents a dramatic increase of 80 percent compared to 2021

The Brazilian environmental agency Ibama has invested in technologies, including artificial intelligence, in order to better monitor fire flocks. Nevertheless, experts warn that without continuous investments in the prevention of forest fires and sustainable land use, the progress achieved are at risk.
Deforestation is currently measured with 100 hectares per hour in Brazil, another alarming fact that illustrates the urgency of action, as in the Brasilienportal .