According to official data released on Monday, the number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon this year has already topped the total number for the entire year of 2021, raising further concerns for the largest rainforest in the world.
According to the Brazilian space agency INPE, satellite monitoring has found 75,592 fires between January 1 and September 18 of this year, which is already more than the 75,090 fires found for the entire previous year.
The most recent depressing reports from the Amazon will probably increase the pressure on President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for reelection next month and is under fire internationally for a rise in damage in the Amazon under his watch.
The average annual deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon has surged by 75% since the far-right agribusiness ally gained government in January 2019.
The latest statistics, according to Greenpeace Brazil's Andre Freitas, are a "tragedy predicted."
He added in a statement: "We are seeing that as this government's term ends, land-grabbers and other criminal actors perceive it as the perfect time to advance on the forest. This is one of the darkest periods ever for the Brazilian environment." After four years of the federal government's "clear and objective anti-environmental policy," he continued.
