In three days between September 2 and 5, there were 8,700 fire outbreaks in the Amazon. So nearly 3,000 per day, which is two per minute! The absolute record for 15 years was beaten on August 22: 3,350 fire starts during the day. This is even more than in the summer of 2019 when records had already been broken. The month of August 2022 was catastrophic, 20% more fires than in 2021. The month of September is therefore also starting very badly.
The most affected region is in the heart of the Amazon, on the border between the states of Rondonia, Acre and Amazonas, near the town of Porto Velho. It is also not very far from the border with Bolivia and Peru. Satellite images are impressive. A huge region the size of Spain is engulfed in flames. Almost everywhere plumes of smoke, devastated forest areas. The black of the ashes replaces the green of the humid forest. In the rare agglomerations of the region, a kind of permanent fog which limits visibility and makes the inhabitants cough. The burning smell is omnipresent. The sun takes on a reddish color. Ash particles are everywhere in the air.
These are most often arson, there is little doubt. The end of August is certainly traditionally marked by a form of drought in the region. But we are still talking about a dense and humid forest where fire is not normally part of the natural cycle. All scientists are therefore convinced that these disasters are triggered by humans with the aim of deforestation: breeders, farmers or loggers. Moreover, the fires are gradually moving north, following an almost geometric arc shape, mechanical like a border that would progress steadily north according to a planned pattern. And this is where we join politics: for four years, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been encouraging the agribusiness lobby in these theoretically protected areas. At the same time, it limited the powers of environmental watchdogs. Consequence: in four years, the average deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by 75% compared to the previous decade. The cacique, the leader of the Indians of Amazonia, Raoni Matuktire, speaks of “crimes against humanity”.
The Brazilians therefore vote on October 2, it is the presidential election. But the subject is very little present in the campaign. Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, who is seeking a new term, considers that this is not a subject. And that Western countries are not doing better with their fires. His rival, the former left-wing president Lula, who is the favorite in the ballot, is more aware of the subject. But it is not the priority of his campaign either, focusing more on poverty, unemployment or food insecurity which are in fact the main concerns of Brazilians. This new outbreak in the Amazon does not arouse more international reactions, much less than in 2019 when the subject made headlines. A lively controversy had notably opposed Jair Bolsonaro to Emmanuel Macron at that time. Nothing like it for now. One of the planet’s lungs goes up in smoke and there is silence on all floors.