Brazil has 401 fires, 86% of which are in the Amazon

Brazil recorded 401 fires on Tuesday (November 12, 2024). The data is from the (National Institute for Space Research) system, released this Wednesday (13.nov). The Amazon concentrates the largest share of fire outbreaks, with 346 – or 86.3%.

Pará is the state with the highest number of fires, with 160 outbreaks recorded in 24 hours. It is followed by Amazonas (101) and Mato Grosso (43).

Of the 6 Brazilian biomes, 5 recorded the incidence of fire. The Caatinga had the 2nd highest number, with 35 outbreaks – 8.7% of the total.

Brazil ended the month of August 2024 with . There were 68,635 occurrences – the 5th highest in the historical series, which began in 1998. It was an increase of 144% compared to the same period in 2023.

September had 83,154 fires – the worst month of the year in terms of number of fires so far. It was the September since 2010, when 109,030 fires were recorded.

Traditionally, this is the month in which the peak of fires is recorded in Brazil, which continues until October.

In October, the country accumulated 33,356 fires – 15.95% compared to the same month in 2023, when the country had 39,692 fire incidents.

In November, there were already 9,040 fires.

Year to date, the country records 252,601 fires.

Brazil faced, in addition to the increase in fire outbreaks, the worst drought in 75 years, according to the Chico Mendes Institute of Conservation and Biodiversity.

Understand the causes:

Drought and drought that affect most municipalities are common in the Brazilian winter. The season started in June and continues until the end of September. However, the intensity at which they occur in the season this year is atypical. There are 2 factors that most impact the scenario:

• strong heat waves – there have been 6 since the beginning of the season, according to the (National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts). On the other hand, the cold waves were only 4;
• anticipation of drought – in some regions of Brazil, the dry period began before winter. In the Amazon, for example, the drought intensified almost 1 month ahead of schedule, at the beginning of June.

In the Amazon region, in addition to the fires, the drought is taking on worrying forms. Amazonian municipalities face around 1 year of drought. It is the longest drought on record. There are 3 main causes:

• intensity of El Niño – the rainfall regime was impacted by the phenomenon that warms the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It peaked at the beginning of this year and influenced the beginning of the drought;
• abnormal warming of the waters of the North Tropical Atlantic – the temperature in the maritime region, which is above South America, increased by 1.2 °C to 1.4 °C in 2023 and 2024;
• record global temperatures – in July, the world broke the record ever recorded in history. The scenario creates conditions for stronger heat waves.