Big dry and legal doubts fuel progress to new forest burn boom in Brazil
Brasília, Brazil – High temperatures, low humidity and uncertainty over the future of forest laws are fuelling a boost in forest fires over much of Brazil.Overnight on August 30, satellite data collected by the National Institute of Space Researches (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais – INPE) showed 177 fire spots in central and central west Brazil and also in the north, south and south east of the country.
The 45,860 forest fires recorded so far this year is nearly 50 per cent higher than from the equivalent January to August period in 2009, putting Brazil on track to exceed the fire totals for 2007, the highest in the last five years.
While high temperatures – 30-35 degrees C in central Brazil – and humidity readings of under 20 per cent are undoubtedly contributing, Alberto Setzer, INPEs Forest Fire Monitoring coordinator, believes that the increase of fire occurrences this year is also related to the undefined future of the Brazilian Forest Code, which has been under severe attack by some sectors of the Brazilian Congress.
The current forest-burning season will not figure on the next release of annual deforestation rates, but the intense degradation facilitates illegal deforestation.
“Soon, many of these areas will no longer be forests,” Setzer said. “In fact, burning the forest is usually the first and cheapest step to clean out a forest area.”
Blame put on "the usual illegal practices"
The proposed forest code changes particularly downgrade protected area requirements for private land, steep land and watercourse fringes. According to the Institute, 130 state and federal reserves also registered fire spots inside their areas or within their buffer zones.
Denise Hamú, WWF-Brazil's CEO, agrees with the possibility of criminal fires being connected to the Forest Bill currently under discussion at the Congress.
“The uncertainty about the future of our Forest Code may perfectly be leading some of these criminal fires,” she said. “The possibility of reducing the compulsorily protected areas within properties may be encouraging farmers to prepare new areas for agriculture or cattle breeding, in advance, with an eye on the proposed amendment in the law.”
Brazil’s Environment Minister, Izabella Teixeira, has called for investigations to identify possible criminal actions behind these fires which she attributed to “the usual illegal practices”.
One of Brazil’s leading climate researchers, Dr Antonio Marengo of the Centre of Terrestrial System Sciences, said “We cannot assure the unusual season we are going through right now is caused by the climate changes. But it is, no doubt, a picture of what may happen in the future, when droughts and high temperatures will become more frequent and severe.”
Strong and severe laws and public policies seem to be the only possible adaptation measures for a future of climate changes, as related to forest fire, he said, calling for more preparation of local governments, populations and hospitals for more and more smoky atmosphere, lung diseases and fire disasters.
“These are palliative measures, of course, but theres not much that can be done, once the use of fire in the agriculture is cultural in Brazil,” Dr. Marengo said.
For him, the hope relies on education for the future generations.
Amazonian rainforest being burnt to create pasture for ranching, Brazil.
Please stop destroying the whole world's life and future. Thank you in advance
Do not forget that Europe and spend summers with extremely severe high temperatures, numerous forest fires and low yields of wheat. There is nothing to lie - climate change due to humans, are "outrageous" and it is high time politicians to open their eyes to these facts.
The governments of the world must take immediate notice of this. The Amazon is a WORLD RESOURCE, and this should not be tolerated. Brazil is tinkering with the lungs of our planet! If the Brazilian Congress has the gall to undermine forest protections at a time in our history when we need to rapidly and overwhelmingly expand them, then you leave us no choice, Brazil, but to label you as an outcast and assess you severe economic penalties for your role in aiding and abetting the destruction of the Amazon, one the last great sanctuaries on our planet. We need a worldwide carbon cap-and-trade program that assesses SEVERE penalties for massive deforestation such as this. (Which is magnified even further by the potential loss of biodiversity.) Let's see some action now!
These are global lungs! And belong to the whole planet! Press for global disarmament and put the freed resources into afforestation! Less than that wont do in the long run…
Formulate this common sense in new and daring ways, please wake up and speak out NOW!
I have no doubt that this planet is heating up. If we could see the greenhouse gas effects in the atmosphere, it will be pretty clear to everyone that its effects are having a big impact on the natural world, and of course, there will be big trouble. Deforestation is also creating a massive carbon capture in the atmosphere which is also creating the warming crisis. The climate is heating up and changing dramatically which is causing more stronger storms and horrible effects on life on Earth. The climate, which protects us, will soon become unsustainable for us to survive. Species of animals and plants are facing extinction and so could we someday. But I know that in Australia for example(where I live), 1,500 species of plants and animals may face extinction because we are the worst polluters along with America which perhaps ranks second. But the thing I hate so much about the Brazil government is that they destroy more hectors of rain forest than any other place. Sadly however, there's about six million square kilometers or so in South America, and what pisses me off is that about 120,000 hectors of it are being eradicated every year. However, if you divide six million square kilometers of forest by 120,000 hectors that are being destroyed every year, you get only 50 years for the whole forest to be completely gone. For us, that may be a while away, but for the planet, that is heaps fast. Yet, it gives us time to solve and stop the issue of deforestation. But we must work fast, so many damage has been done, that the planet is becoming unsustainable for us to live, and species of plants and animals there, will face extinction. So with this in mind, we have to preserve the environment. What I believe can help of this issue is that big conservation groups such as WWF, Greenpeace, RSPB, Friends Of The Earth and many more with big money that has been donated, must be used to buy a forest, perhaps the size of greater London is conserved, AND, we can shut down logging companies for conservation profits. I CAN'T stand seeing so much damage being done to the natural world and wildlife!! With this in mind, NOW IS the time to act and be taken into action. Mankind's fate depends on it!!! Francis Miguez has spoken.
(Please think about this)!
I think the Brazillina governement has a key role here that it does not want to accept. Laws can forbid the use of fire, putting quotas and other restrictive measures are among numerous laws other countries have already passed.