Since the beginning of the month, thousands of fire outbreaks have been recorded in Brazil's northern states, spreading through Acre, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul, and reaching the triple border of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the country is experiencing its worst wave of wildfires in five years.
In fact, the institute's Wildfire Program, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Technology, recorded 71,497 fire outbreaks between January 1 and August 18 of this year—a figure 82% higher than during the same period last year, when 39,194 outbreaks were recorded.
In most cases, these fires start from agricultural burning, a common practice used to clear forested land for agricultural purposes, generally for cattle ranching. This is the cheapest method to clear land—and is not inherently bad if done in a controlled manner and in authorized areas. Unfortunately, in Brazil, most of these burns take place in protected areas that cannot legally be converted to agribusiness.
