According to government data released on Monday, after a spike in deforestation during an election year, fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest have increased in September, making it the deadliest month in more than ten years.
The national space research organization INPE reported 36,850 fire alarms in the area so far this month, a 120% increase over the same period last year and the worst monthly total since INPE issued 43,933 alerts in September 2010.
With that, the number of fire alarms for the year as a whole increased to 82,872, surpassing the total of 75,090 for 2021.
The burning season, or August and September, when rains lessen and ranchers and farmers can set fire to cleared land, is when fires in the Amazon tend to peak.
However, according to INPE satellite data going back to 1998, they have already surpassed the typical number of 32,110 fires for September this month.
In election years, when law enforcement is often at a low point and loggers rush to make preparations before a potential change in conservation policy, the destruction of Brazil’s rainforest frequently increases.
“The Amazon jungle does not naturally experience fires. These flames are caused by human activity, often in violation of the law, and environmental degradation that increases the risk of fires “said Mariana Napolitano, the science manager for WWF-Brazil.
On October 2, Brazilians will decide whether to give President Jair Bolsonaro a second term. Bolsonaro has ripped back environmental safeguards, causing the Amazon’s deforestation to reach a 15-year high.
Ricardo Galvao, the former director of INPE and current candidate for Congress, wrote on Twitter, “Brazil was once a world reference in monitoring national forests, but unfortunately the responsible agencies have been decimated by the government.”
In polls, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is ahead of Bolsonaro. If elected, Lula da Silva has promised to increase law enforcement in the Amazon to stop deforestation.
The Justice and Public Security Ministry was contacted for comment by Bolsonaro’s office, which did not receive a response right away.
The number of fires had already reached its peak for the month of August since 2010.
Additionally, data revealed that 1,661 square kilometers (641 square miles) of the Amazon were cleared last month, an increase of 81% from the same time in 2021.
The majority of the Amazon, according to Bolsonaro, is still undeveloped in his speech to the UN last week. He also complimented Brazil’s efforts in renewable energy and criticized the media for its portrayal of deforestation.
