51吃瓜

In 2024, an alarming 80% increase in fires compared to the previous year. August has been the worst month so far, with fires spreading from the Pantanal and the Amazon to S茫o Paulo. Under a thick layer of smoke, Brazilians watch in disbelief as the fires continue to grow.

S茫o Paulo, one of 10 states affected by smoke and soot from the Amazon by late August, found relief on Friday, August 23, when a cold front arrived. The temperature dropped by 12掳C, bringing some hope of cleaner air. That same morning, at 10:30 AM, IPAM (the Amazon Environmental Research Institute) satellites noticed an unusual rise in smoke columns. Within 90 minutes, the number of fire hotspots in the state had skyrocketed from 25 to 1,886, surpassing even the Amazon’s total. This sudden spike reflects a troubling year, as land clearing for agriculture drives most of the fires.

While authorities haven’t officially declared the fires to be arson, evidence strongly suggests it. Over half of the fires were in sugarcane fields, with 20% in pastures and 17% in other crops. Nearly 4,000 rural properties were affected across 144 municipalities, with 48 placed on high alert. S茫o Paulo saw a record number of fires this August 鈥� seven times more than the same month in 2023. Experts don鈥檛 hesitate to attribute this to human activity. “Fires started in 50 municipalities at once. That means 99.9% of them were caused by people,” said National Civil Defense Secretary Wolnei Wolff. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unnatural to have so many fires break out in such a short time. It鈥檚 like S茫o Paulo鈥檚 own 鈥楩ire Day,鈥欌�� added Ane Alencar, IPAM鈥檚 Science Director.

Alencar compares August 23 to Brazil鈥檚 2019 鈥淔ire Day,鈥� when ranchers and land grabbers organized mass fires in the Amazon, burning 1,457 areas simultaneously. The fires prepared land for farming and cattle while also challenging environmental regulators under then-Minister Ricardo Salles. 鈥淚 monitor satellite images daily, and I鈥檝e rarely seen Brazil covered in smoke like this. It鈥檚 almost impossible that these fires were natural,鈥� says Marcelo Seluchi, a climatologist at INPE. Alencar adds, 鈥淔ire remains a key tool in Brazilian agriculture, used to renew pastures and clear biomass from deforestation, making way for crops or grazing land.鈥�

The fires tend to flare up between July and October, Brazil鈥檚 dry season, with 80% of fires occurring during this period. However, 2024 presents an extra threat. According to Brazil鈥檚 National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN), the country is experiencing its longest drought in central regions in 44 years. Over 70% of municipalities are dealing with some level of drought.

The record-setting number of fires in S茫o Paulo is echoed in other states. Minas Gerais saw the highest fire activity in 13 years, while Mato Grosso experienced a 260% increase compared to 2023. Fires doubled in the Cerrado region. 鈥淚鈥檇 say 95% of this is linked to human activity. Fires were once controlled for land preparation, but today鈥檚 hotter and drier conditions make them harder to manage, even when not intended to spread,鈥� says Jos茅 Marengo, a CEMADEN researcher.

The Pantanal, one of the world鈥檚 largest wetlands, saw a 3,316% rise in fires in August, with 3,758 fires compared to just 110 in 2023. In the Amazon, over 50,000 fires have been recorded since the start of the year. These fires send smoke across the country, creating a vast corridor of haze. During 鈥淔ire Day鈥� in 2019, S茫o Paulo turned dark in the middle of the afternoon as smoke blotted out the sun. In August 2024, the smoke tinted the skies shades of orange and red across Brazil.

Weak laws exacerbate Brazil鈥檚 situation

If investigations confirm the fires in S茫o Paulo were deliberate, the motives could range from defiance of environmental laws to political or economic messages. One thing is clear, though 鈥� such acts continue because of the impunity surrounding them.

In August, Greenpeace Brazil released a report marking five years since the 2019 鈥淔ire Day.鈥� They examined 478 properties linked to coordinated burns and found that 65% of the areas had been sanctioned for violations, but only 10% for illegal fires. Fines for these environmental crimes totaled around 1.3 billion reais ($232.2 million), yet only 41,000 reais ($7,300) had been paid. Some of these properties even received over 200 million reais ($35.7 million) in rural credit. Despite this, no one has been arrested in five years.

Spain offers a stark contrast. In 2006, after a rise in human-caused fires, Spain passed a law prohibiting the sale, reclassification, or use of burned land for 30 years. This led to a significant drop in arson driven by speculation. In Brazil, if banks stopped giving credit to rural properties involved in illegal burns, it could make a major difference.

Brazil鈥檚 laws on fires are weak. While burning is technically illegal in forests and native vegetation, there are exceptions. Fires can be authorized for 鈥渟pecific cases鈥� by environmental agencies, and controlled burns for agriculture are allowed in 鈥渆xceptional cases.鈥� This loophole has resulted in 25% of the country鈥檚 land 鈥� an area larger than Mexico 鈥� being destroyed by fire between 1985 and 2023. 鈥淚n Brazil, we have two main laws for forest fires. The first punishes anyone who starts a fire with 2 to 4 years in prison, plus a fine, if it鈥檚 intentional, and 6 months to 1 year if it鈥檚 accidental,鈥� explains criminal lawyer Enzo Fachini. 鈥淚f a fire is set in crops, pastures, or forests, the sentence can be 4 to 8 years.鈥�

Despite these laws, little happens. “We鈥檒l assess the damage with rural unions and offer support. Agribusiness is crucial to the state,” said S茫o Paulo Governor Tarc铆sio de Freitas on the second 鈥淔ire Day.鈥�

The S茫o Paulo Department of Agriculture estimates losses at $1 billion reais ($178.6 million). Six people were arrested for suspected criminal actions, and two firefighters died fighting the flames. The smoke that blanketed much of the country led to a 60% rise in emergency medical visits due to poor air quality, mostly affecting children and the elderly.

Supreme Court Minister Fl谩vio Dino ordered the Defense, Justice, and Environment Ministries to urgently mobilize resources to fight the fires in the Pantanal and Amazon. However, with a 78% rise in fires between January and August compared to 2023, the situation remains critical. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 even reached the worst part yet 鈥� September,鈥� warned Alencar.

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.