South America is being ravaged by unprecedented wildfires, stretching from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest through the world’s largest wetlands to the dry forests of Bolivia. The continent has broken its previous record for the number of blazes seen in a year up to September 11.
According to satellite data analyzed by Brazil’s space research agency Inpe, 346,112 fire hotspots have been registered so far this year across all 13 countries of South America. This surpasses the earlier 2007 record of 345,322 hotspots, in a data series that dates back to 1998.
Both Brazil and Bolivia have dispatched thousands of firefighters in a desperate attempt to control the blazes. However, they remain largely at the mercy of extreme weather conditions that are fueling the fires.
Scientists indicate that while most fires are initiated by human activity, recent hot and dry conditions driven by climate change are exacerbating the situation, helping the fires to spread more rapidly. South America has been hit by a series of heatwaves since last year, intensifying the severity of the wildfires.
Inhaling wildfire smoke contributes to an average of 12,000 early deaths each year in South America, according to a 2023 study published in the academic journal Environmental Research: Health. September is typically the peak month for fires in South America, and it’s unclear whether the continent will continue to experience high numbers of fires this year.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
