A Continent Ablaze: South America Surpasses Record for Fires

?South America is experiencing an alarming surge in wildfires, with more than 346,000 fire hotspots detected across 13 countries. This breaks the previous record set in 2007, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). These fires are ravaging landscapes from the Amazon rainforest to Bolivia’s dry forests, causing significant ecological damage.

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In Brazil’s Amazon, fires along roadways have turned the lush green landscape into a blackened, smoldering wasteland. Smoke from these blazes has darkened skies above major cities like S?o Paulo, creating a corridor of smoke visible from space that stretches from Colombia to Uruguay.

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Firefighting Efforts and Extreme Weather

Thousands of firefighters in Brazil and Bolivia are struggling to control the fires, but they face daunting challenges due to extreme weather. Scientists attribute the rapid spread of these blazes to human activity, combined with unusually hot and dry conditions fueled by climate change. Since last year, South America has been hit by several heatwaves, exacerbating the situation.

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Karla Longo, an air quality researcher at Inpe, highlighted the abnormal weather in S?o Paulo, where temperatures have exceeded 32 degrees Celsius despite it being winter. “We never had winter,” she said, describing the climate as “absurd.”

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Public Outcry and Ecological Impact

In Bolivia, protests have erupted, with hundreds of people in the capital, La Paz, demanding government action against the fires. Demonstrators carried signs that read, “Bolivia in flames” and “For cleaner air, stop burning.” Activists like Fernanda Negron emphasized the scale of devastation, stating that millions of hectares and countless animals have been lost to the fires.

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Brazil is also grappling with its worst drought on record, which began in 2022. Ana Paula Cunha, a drought researcher at Brazil’s national disaster monitoring agency, described the current drought as the most severe in recent history, affecting large portions of the country.

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The Widespread Reach of the Fires

Brazil and Bolivia are experiencing the highest number of fires this month, followed by countries like Peru, Argentina, and Paraguay. Although earlier intense fires in Venezuela, Guyana, and Colombia have subsided, they contributed significantly to this year’s unprecedented fire season.

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Smoke from deforestation fires in the Amazon is particularly dense due to the thick vegetation, creating apocalyptic scenes. Longo compared the sight of these plumes to that of an atomic mushroom cloud, emphasizing their sheer magnitude. At times, smoke has covered more than half of South America, affecting nearly 9 million square kilometers.

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Health Risks from Smoke Exposure

This smoke has serious health consequences. S?o Paulo, the most populous city in the Western Hemisphere, recently experienced the worst air quality in the world, surpassing even China and India. Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, also faced similar conditions.

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Prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke has increased respiratory issues and could result in thousands of premature deaths. According to a study published in Environmental Research: Health, smoke from wildfires contributes to about 12,000 early deaths annually in South America.

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As September, the peak month for fires, progresses, the situation remains uncertain. While rain is forecast for southern Brazil, drought conditions are expected to persist in the northern Amazon, keeping the region at high risk for further fires.

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