By Luiz Cesar Pimentel

In 2024, Brazil has seen 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 São Paulo. Under a thick layer of smoke, Brazilians watch in disbelief as the fires continue to grow.

São 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°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. São Paulo saw a record number of fires this August — seven times more than the same month in 2023. Experts don’t 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. “It’s unnatural to have so many fires break out in such a short time. It’s like São Paulo’s own ‘Fire Day,’” added Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science........

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