Aerial view of an area of Amazon rainforest deforested by illegal fire in the municipality of Labrea, Amazonas State, Brazil, taken on August 20, 2024. — AFP pic
‘Highly flammable tinderboxes’
The World Weather Attribution network of scientists said Sunday that climate change was increasing the risk and severity of fires in the Amazon and Pantanal, which are releasing “massive amounts” of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“Never-ending heat has combined with low rainfall to turn these precious ecosystems into highly flammable tinderboxes,” said Clair Barnes, a researcher from Imperial College London.
“As long as the world burns fossil fuels, the risk of devastating wildfires will continue to increase in the Amazon and Pantanal,” she added.
The drought has placed some Amazon rivers at their lowest level in decades, threatening the lifestyle of some 47 million people who live on their banks.
The dry spell has sent fires burning out of control in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Peru.
Ecuador, which depends on hydroelectric power, is facing severe energy shortages from its worst drought in six decades, and has implemented rolling blackouts and put 20 of its 24 provinces on red alert.
In Brazil, thick plumes of smoke have clouded major cities such as Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with fumes at times wafting across the border to Argentina and Uruguay.
“South American leaders must, more than ever, take urgent action to prevent climate catastrophe that could have irreversible consequences for humanity and for the planet,” Amnesty International said yesterday.
In an open letter to seven Latin American nations, the NGO urged authorities to do more to abandon fossil fuels and transform the industrial agriculture model, as well as protect the territories of Indigenous peoples and environmental defenders.
Amnesty pointed out that while some countries like Brazil — where deforestation has slowed — have taken action to tackle the burning of forests, many others were falling short.
Under Argentina’s budget-slashing President Javier Milei, there has been a “drastic cut” to the environmental budget. The country’s mass staff cuts have also hobbled the National Parks’ service. — AFP
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 18:54:00
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