Devastating fires are occurring in the Amazon rainforest as a result of the worst drought in decades. Approximately 1,500 firefighters have been dispatched by the Brazilian authorities to tackle the fires.
President Lula da Silva took office in January 2023, and while deforestation has decreased since then, satellite data shows that this year has had 59,000 fires, the most since 2008.
Porto Velho, home to 540,000 inhabitants, is impacted by the smoke from the fires.
The “flying rivers” of moisture above the rainforest have given way to smoke, and human-caused climate change has exacerbated the disastrous fires in the Pantanal wetlands.
Environment Minister Marina Silva identified two causes: El Niño and global warming.
