Thousands of new fires have been started in the Amazon rainforest over the weekend as blazes continue to devastate huge parts of the region.
The National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which monitors deforestation in Brazil, said some 1,113 new fires were ignited across Saturday and Sunday.
Video footage of the fires has gone viral on social media over the past few weeks, while millions fear the impact the ongoing destruction of the world’s largest rainforest may have on the climate change crisis.
According to the INPE, there have been 72,843 fires in Brazil this year, with more than half in the Amazon region – an increase of more than 80 per cent compared with the previous year.
Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his environmental policies have come under scrutiny, with critics saying he favours development over conservation.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest:
What areas have been affected by the fires?
The European Union Earth Observation Program’s Sentinel satellites captured images of “significant amounts of smoke” over Amazonas, Rondonia and other areas.
Smoke has reached all the way to Sao Paulo, more than 1,700 miles away.
How big are the fires?
The scale of the fires is so huge that they can be seen from space, NASA has said.
According to the INPE, more than 1 ½ football fields of Amazon rainforest are being destroyed every minute of every day.
“This is without question one of only two times that there have been fires like this in the Amazon,” ecologist Thomas Lovejoy told National Geographic.
“There’s no question that it’s a consequence of the recent upstick in deforestation.”
How much damage have they caused?
The Amazon rainforest is considered vital in the slowing of global warming, thanks to its plethora of habitable species of fauna and flora.
It generates about 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen and 10 per cent of the world’s known biodiversity. Often referred to as “the lungs of the planet,” it plays a significant role in regulating the climate.
This means that the destruction of the Amazon rainforest would have a devastating impact on everything from the air we breathe to the water we drink.
The fires are also causing millions of people indigenous to the Amazon to be displaced. An estimated 500 tribes live within the Amazon.
What caused the fire?
According to NASA, fires in the Amazonian area often occur during the dry season, which typically starts around July and August. Peak “activity” is said to happen by early September and ceases by mid-November.
Blazes are also started deliberately by a way of deforestation – people clearing out the land for farming or ranches.
The INPE has now ruled out natural phenomena being responsible for the surge in forest fires.
Alberto Setzer, a senior scientist at INPE, told CNN that he believes 99% of the fires result from human actions “either on purpose or by accident.”
Why is President Bolsonaro being criticised?
Jair Bolsonoro’s environmental policies have become a contentious issue for Brazilians and environmentalists all over the world.
Whilst previous governments made efforts to reduce deforestation, Mr Bolsonaro’s government has criticised the harsher penalties implemented for those who commit environmental crimes.
Last month, Mr Bolsonaro accused the INPE’s director of lying about the scale of deforestation, resulting in the director of the agency being sacked over the row.
Brazil’s president has now accused environmental groups of intentionally starting the fires to embarrass his government.
“On the question of burning in the Amazon, which in my opinion may have been initiated by NGOs because they lost money, what is the intention? To bring problems to Brazil,” Mr Bolsonaro told a steel industry congress in Brasilia.
The president’s comments have prompted Norway and Germany to suspend their donations to Brazil’s Amazon fund. There have also been calls for Europe to block a trade deal with Brazil and other South American nations.
How have world leaders responded?
French President Emmanuel Macron has referred to the fires as an “international crisis” and made the issue a key talking point during the G7 summit.
On Monday, President Macron said that G7 member countries – which comprise of the US, Japan, Germany France, Italy, Britain and Canada - would donate $22m to help tackle the fires.
Separately, Britain and Canada also pledged $12m and $11m in aid retrospectively.
Brazil’s government has said it will reject international aid offers from G7 countries, but gave no reason for doing so.
Onyx Lorenzoni, Bolsonaro’s chief of staff, did however suggest on Monday to Brazil’s Globo news website that “perhaps these resources are more relevant to reforesting Europe.”
“Macron cannot even avoid predictable fire in a church that is part of the world’s heritage, and he wants to give u lesons for our country?” Mr Lorenzoni questioned.
He added: “What does he intend to teach our country?”
