Brazil experienced a dramatic surge in forest fires in 2024, with 30.8 million hectares of land burned—a 79% increase compared to the previous year. This alarming data was revealed in a report by the MapBiomas platform. The vast Amazon rainforest bore the brunt of the devastation, accounting for approximately 17.9 million hectares of the total burned area, which is 58% of the overall destruction.
For the first time in recorded history, the Amazon saw more forests destroyed by fire than grasslands, signaling a shift in the pattern of environmental degradation.
"Unusual and concerning" and "atypical and alarming"—this is how Ane Alencar, Science Director at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) and Coordinator of MapBiomas, described 2024, according to Público. She emphasized the severity of the situationץ "This is a terrible indicator, because once those forests succumb to fire, they become very susceptible to new fires," she said. Alencar warned that the repeated burning of forest areas compromises their ability to recover, making them increasingly vulnerable.
The state of Pará, home to the Amazonian city of Belém, was the most affected region in 2024. Pará suffered the loss of 7.3 million hectares to fires, representing about a quarter of Brazil's total burned area. Belém is set to host the United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) in November 2025, placing Brazil's environmental challenges in the global spotlight.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who prioritizes environmental protection and the conservation of the Amazon rainforest, faces challenges ahead of COP30. Despite his government's efforts, the increase in fire outbreaks continued, following weaker protections under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. SKAI reported that President Lula acknowledged in September that Brazil was not "100% ready" to confront the wave of forest fires.
Deforestation rates showed signs of improvement prior to the surge in fires. In August 2024, deforestation in Brazil decreased by more than 30% year-on-year, marking the lowest level in nine years. However, the increase in fires threatened to undermine these gains, as vast areas of previously untouched forest were now being lost.
Human activity is cited as the primary cause of these fires. In almost all cases, fires are caused by individuals seeking to clear land for grazing, agriculture, or illegal appropriation.
Climate change exacerbated the situation by creating conditions that facilitated the spread of fires. The prolonged droughts and low humidity associated with the El Niño weather event in 2023–2024 made vegetation drier and more susceptible to burning.
The Pantanal region, another biome in Brazil, also faced severe impacts. In 2024, 1.9 million hectares were burned, with 648,796 hectares consumed in August alone, as noted by G1. The Cerrado biome saw its burned area nearly double, reaching about 10 million hectares, with 85% of wildfires occurring in areas of native vegetation, according to Público.
"Because the Amazon is a biome that evolved without the presence of fire, all the fire that happens in the Amazon is directly related to human activities," explained Felipe Martenexen from the MapBiomas team.
The widespread devastation threatens Brazil's commitments to the Paris Agreement goals.
Environmental experts stress the urgency of immediate action to address the crisis. Alencar insisted on the need for proactive measures.
In response to the crisis, the Brazilian government proposed harsher penalties for environmental crimes. The government attributed the increase in forest fires to "climate terrorism," a term that sparked debate among environmentalists and policymakers.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.