Amazon rainforest faces devastating fires in 2024

So far, more than 4 million hectares have gone up in smoke. The most affected states are Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador

This 2024, more than 50,000 fires have burned over 10 million acres in the Amazon-the size of Switzerland. This August alone went up in smoke when 29,000 fires were recorded-an 83% increase from 2023.

The worst-hit areas

It is most critical in the states of Brazil-particularly the Pantanal and the Amazon regions-which have been reeling under one of the worst droughts in recent history.

“We are experiencing the worst drought in the last 40 years in Brazil,” reports the WWF. The fire season has virtually been extended, expanding from three to six months. For several 4,500 municipalities there has been no rain for months while temperatures are up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

Fires spread beyond Brazil

The fires have stretched to Ecuador and Bolivia, burning three million hectares of land, a little more than 7.4 million acres. This is not only an environmental and biodiversity crisis but also a health crisis for the people, as the toxic air has already spread to 11 states and cities hundreds of miles away, including São Paulo with 30 million people, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, and over a thousand other cities, approximately one-quarter of Brazil.

The air has become nearly unbreathable, with the particulate matter 2.5 reaching 300 micrograms per cubic meter of air, way over the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization, standing at 12 micrograms per cubic meter.

Agricultural and economic impact

Aside from the destruction of forest areas, tens of thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations were lost in the Cerrado and Pantanal, amounting to an estimated loss of some 75 million US dollars. Sugar prices consequently went up.

Cooperation among Latin American countries is imperative, since we are at that critical juncture beyond which the Amazon will reach its tipping point, the point of no return, as perceived by the “Declaration of Belem,” says Edoardo Nevola, head of forests with WWF.