Year after year, the Amazon continues to suffer more and more violently from fire attacks. The number of fires in the Brazilian part of this forest increased by 28% last month compared to July 2019. Satellite data released on Saturday is fueling fears that the world's largest rainforest will again be devastated by fires this year.
More than 1,000 fires on July 30
Brazil's National Space Institute, INPE, identified 6,803 fires in the Amazon region in July 2020, up from 5,318 the previous year. On the day of July 30 alone, satellites detected 1,007 fires, the worst day in July since 2005, underlined the environmental NGO Greenpeace. This figure is even more worrying for researchers because 2019 has already been a devastating year for the forest, prompting protests around the world.
Set fire to clear
The main purpose of the fires is to illegally clear land to make room for agriculture, ranching or mining. Environmental activists accuse President Jair Bolsonaro, notoriously skeptical of climate change, of encouraging deforestation with calls to open the rainforest to agricultural activity and industry. “The government's strategy of conducting media diversion is not working on the ground,” Greenpeace Brazil spokesman Romulo Batista said.
The first six months of 2020 were the period during which deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon was the most significant since statistics exist. According to INPE data, 3,069 square kilometers have been razed. If a significant portion of these areas where trees have been felled are set on fire in 2020, the situation could turn catastrophic, experts warn.
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