Brazil’s environment minister has declared a “war” on fires after a historic increase in wildfires that has spread smoke across Brasília and São Paulo, resulting in flight cancellations and school closures.
On Monday, the capital city Brasília was engulfed in thick smoke, creating scenes like those of a severe air pollution event seen in Chinese cities.
After an emergency meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, Marina Silva, a veteran environmentalist, described the recent surge in wildfires in São Paulo state as “unusual” and that federal police are investigating.
As a result of this investigation, three people have been arrested. Many are concerned that Brazil may be experiencing a repeat of the 2019 “Day of fire”, which was a series of intentional and politically motivated fires that devastated the Amazon rainforest during the early days of Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency.
Silva said to the reporters, “In virtually two days, various municipalities are burning at the same time. This isn’t part of our experience curve in all these years we’ve been working with fire.”
Three of Brazil’s six biomes which are the Amazon, Pantanal wetlands, and Cerrado, have experienced extreme heat, with the Amazon experiencing its worst fire levels in about 20 years.
Experts say this may be caused by severe drought intensified by the climate crisis and the El Niño phenomenon.
Rodrigo Agostinho, director of Ibama, explained to GloboNews that this year’s extreme drought has left the Amazon and Pantanal vulnerable to fires.
He emphasized how fires do not occur spontaneously, noting that recent blazes were not caused by lightning strikes. “Most fires in Brazil are ignited by human actions,” Agostinho said, mentioning that they are sometimes set to clear.
Additionally, Rodrigo mentioned that 3000 firefighters were struggling to control the fires and fear that this problem may become more severe between now and October.
Cristiane Mazzetti, a forest campaigner for Greenpeace Brazil, describes the situation as “Brazil is ablaze,” highlighting a “vicious cycle of burning.”
Furthermore, Mazzetti states that the wildfires not only release greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change but also contribute to extreme weather conditions like prolonged droughts, which, in turn, fuel even more intense fires.
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