Fires almost double in Brazil in November compared to the same month in 2021

The platform reported, in a note, that the data confirms the escalation of environmental destruction in the last months of Jair Bolsonaro's government. Since the president – ​​who defends the expansion of mining and agriculture in Amazon – took office in 2019, burned and the deforestation of the forest have worsened.

Fires in the Amazon spike after 2nd round of elections

The fires exploded uncontrollably in several states in the Amazon between the 1st and 10th of November, the period following the second round of elections, compared to the same period in the last 10 years. This is what a survey released this Friday (11) by WWF found based on data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).

For Mapbiomes, the shooting of burned in November is unusual as the month coincides with the rainy season.

“This is clearly a reaction to the expectation of more effective policies to combat deforestation and fires by the new government”, stated Ane Alencar, coordinator of Mapbiomas Fogo and director of Science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM ).

With data from November, the area burned in the first 11 months of 2022 reached 15,9 million hectares (an area slightly smaller than the territory of Uruguay), according to Mapbiomas. This represented an increase of 13% compared to the same period in 2021.

Almost half of this burned land (48%) is in Amazon, surpassing for the first time after two years the Cerrado, the platform reported.

(To AFP)

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