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2024 South American wildfires

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2024 South American wildfires
Date(s)January 2024 – ongoing
LocationPrimarily Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Statistics
Total fires346,112 hotspots[1]
Total area85,866,867 hectares (212.18165 million acres) per GWIS[2]
Impacts
Deaths148
Non-fatal injuries134
Ignition
Cause

The 2024 South American wildfires refer to a mega colossal series of wildfires that significantly impacted several neighboring South American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Based on Global Wildfire Information System satellite imaging, about 346,112 wildfire hotspots damaged or destroyed 85,866,867 hectares (~212,181,650 acres). The massive area burned was primarily caused by anthropogenic climate change and the resulting consequences of the 2023–2024 South American drought on fire conditions. The wildfires caused significant deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, and also impacted several other international biomes including the Pantanal wetlands, becoming the second largest series of wildfires in the 21st century next to the 2023–24 Australian bushfire season, with the 2024 Brazil wildfires alone reaching fourth in area burned.[3]

Background

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See also: 2023–2024 South American drought

Beginning in 2023, prolonged drought conditions impacted most of South America as a result of lighter seasonal rainfall in the Amazon and "warming of northern tropical Atlantic Ocean waters" and the Equatorial Pacific due to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation climate phenomenon. In addition, increased temperatures due to anthropogenic global warming from increased atmospheric CO2 and methane resulted in more severe climate phenomena, with September 2023 setting a global temperature record at the time.[4]

In January 2024, the World Weather Attribution climate scientist initiative determined that the primary driver of the 2023 drought conditions was anthropogenic climate change as opposed to El Niño. The resulting increase in temperatures combined with a marked decrease in rainfall caused widespread evaporation of moisture from soil and plants, which in turn significantly exacerbated drought conditions and resulting wildfires.[5] In the central regions of Brazil, temperatures reached 1 °C above the 1.5 °C average global increase, resulting in large amounts of rain evaporating before it could move deeper into the soil.[6]

In May 2024, the Brazilian savannah of the Cerrado suffered from its worst drought in over 700 years based on geological research of stalagmites in the open entrance Onça Cave.[6]

In August 2024, the Amazon had several of its rivers reach critically low water levels in the first weeks of its dry season, with several rivers in the southwest Amazon reaching their lowest point on record for their respective times of the year.[7] The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization released a technical statement reporting that the Amazon basin had been significantly impacted by drought conditions, and anticipated that it would cause significant issues in its member states: "Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela."[8]

Wildfires

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Satellite imaging detected 346,112 fire hot spots in 2024 by 11 September, exceeding the prior 2007 record of 345,322 hot spots since data began in 1998. As a result of the blazes, a massive diagonal corridor of smoke spread across the continent from Colombia to Uruguay.[1]

Bolivia

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Forest fires in Bolivia began in June, and began to grow out of control by August and September, destroying 4 million hectares (10 million acres) of grassland and forest areas in the departments of La Paz, Cochabamba, Beni, Santa Cruz, and Pando, while emitting significant amounts of smoke and air pollution. Many of the fires also blazed in the Amazon rainforest next to the border of Brazil, and next to colossal wildfires located in Brazil. Of the area burned, 60% was grassland and 40% was forest, and multiple protected areas were impacted.[9]

Response

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By early September, The Bolivian government declared a state of emergency for the entire nation, and 5,000 volunteer firefighters were assigned to mitigate the blazes. Bolivian Minister of Defense Edmundo Novillo requested international support, of which Brazil, Venezuela, and France stated that they would offer assistance.[9]

Brazil

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Main article: 2024 Brazil wildfires
Satellite imaging of 9 September 2024 and shows wildfires along the Xingu River, in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil.
Satellite imaging of wildfires and smoke trails in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil, taken on 9 September 2024.

In 2024, 53,302 wildfires detected by the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS) burned an estimated 37,578,692 hectares (92,858,970 acres) of tropical wetland in Brazil's Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul, the Amazon rainforest, and the Cerrado.

Throughout the first two weeks of June, 2,639 fires burned 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) of the Pantanal wetlands, six times the highest number of fires in the region for June compared to any prior year.[10] The number rose to over 760,000 hectares (1.9 million acres) by 9 July, burning over 4% of the 16.9 million hectares (42 million acres) of wetland. The intensity and range of the wildfires were exacerbated by strong winds blowing at up to 40 km per hour.[11] The prominent fires threatened many of the natural fauna including anteaters, jaguars, tapirs, caimans, and anacondas. A total of 3,538 wildfires were recorded in the region up to 1 July, up 40% compared to 2020, the year with the most wildfires in the region.[12]

In late August, wildfires caused by prolonged drought conditions and strong wind gusts impacted thirty cities in São Paulo state, either directly affecting them or burning near them. As a result, at least two people were killed at an industrial plant in Urupês while trying to contain a nearby wildfire.[13]

On 14 September, State Environment Secretary Bernardo Rossi announced the closure of all parks in Rio de Janeiro because of fires across the state.[14]

Response

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In April, state authorities of Mato Grosso do Sul proclaimed an "environmental state of emergency" due to low levels of rainfall disrupting the usual seasonal flooding, exacerbating conditions for potential wildfires in many parts of the region.[15]

Mato Grosso do Sul's state government would then issue an emergency declaration on 24 June. Firefighter Cabo Sena reported that wildfires would often reignite within 24 hours of them being put out. Fire prevention leaflets were distributed to local civilians in the region of the wildfires, with several experts and citizens requesting that Brazil's government invests more in fire prevention education.[11]

Chile

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Main article: 2024 Chile wildfires
Chile ravaged by forest fires, particularly in the Valparaíso region, where nearly 8,700 hectares destroyed based on image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 7 February shows the burn scars in the Valparaíso area.
Modified satellite imaging showing burn scars in the Valparaíso area in Chile.

Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve reported on 4 February that there were 162 forest fires across central and southern Chile, following the presence of unusually high temperatures that reached up to 40 °C (104 °F) in the prior week,[16][17][18] exacerbated by Chile's "mega-drought" that over the last decade.[19] 43,000 hectares of land were affected.[20]

As a result of the fires, a total of 131 people were killed,[17] and at least 14,000 houses were affected by the fires in Viña del Mar and Quilpué.[21] The fires were regarded as the deadliest in Chile's history, and the deadliest disaster in the country since the 2010 Chile earthquake.[18]

Response

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President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency on 3 February, and ordered the deployment of 1,300 military personnel alongside 31 firefighting aircraft[22] and 1,400 firefighters.[18][16] In May 2024, a firefighter and a CONAF employee were arrested on suspicion of starting the fires in Valparaiso Region.[23] The government of Mexico sent a team of 30 firefighters from the National Forestry Commission and 127 Army and Air Force personnel,[24] together with 26 tons of food supplies.[25]

Colombia

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Main article: 2024 Colombia wildfires

A series of more than 340 forest fires began in Colombia in January, burning 900 m (3,000 ft) of residential areas and affecting 174 municipalities in the country.[26][27][28]

In mid-September, Colombia's National Risk Management Unit reported 20 active fires in Colombia that had destroyed 12,800 hectares (32,000 acres) of forests, most of which were located in the departments of Tolima and Huila.[29]

Ecuador

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Main article: August-September 2024 Ecuador wildfires

Beginning in August 2024, several wildfires began to spread in Ecuador, including in Guayaquil, Loja, and Quito. By September, 10,980 hectares were destroyed by the wildfires. In order to help control the blazes, the government of Peru sent its personnel and aircraft to help mitigate the forest fires.[30][31]

Peru

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Main article: 2024 Peru wildfires

Wildfires first began to appear in Peru during July 2024.[32] Peru's Ministry of the Environment stated that many wildfires were regularly caused between August and November by farmers' and land traffickers' burning of dry grasslands in order to increase the amount of land open for sale or agriculture.[33]

By 15 September, 222 fire emergencies were reported, the largest of which were detected in the departments of Amazonas, Ancash, Cuzco, Madre de Dios, San Martin, and Ucayali. Peru's civil defense reported that as a result of the widespread wildfires, at least fifteen civilians were killed and 134 more were injured.[33]

Prime Minister of Peru Gustavo Adrianzén reported that aerial firefighting efforts were strongly hindered by the presence of smoke from the wildfires, along with high cloud cover and strong winds.[34] He also pleaded to farmers and the rest of Peru to stop burning grasslands, stating that "All the fires that are happening nationwide have been started by humans".[33]

Management

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At the local level, together with the inhabitants of the affected areas, some institutional responses were activated and groups of people were deployed to confront the fires. These groups include national fire brigades in each of the countries, military groups, and other groups specialized in emergencies and natural disasters, such as for Civil Defense and the Red Cross.[35]

Controversies

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  • Despite being recognized worldwide as a fundamental area for the sustainability of the planet and being a legal subject of protection in several countries, the Amazon region is at high risk of forest fires. In 2023 alone in the protected area known as the Amazônia Legal, more than 127,000 wildfires were recorded, while in 2022, 145,100 outbreaks were reported.[36]
  • Media coverage sometimes focuses on identifying potential culprits for the spread of fires, and deepens existing land conflicts in the region. Among the actors involved in these environmental conflicts are those who practice intensive agriculture and livestock farming, who exert pressure on local governments, those who slash and burn their lands to cultivate them, whether on small or large tracts, and those who practice sustainable agriculture and non-intensive land use, who are generally indigenous or peasant communities holding collective land rights.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Spring, Jake; Eschenbacher, Stefanie (2024-09-13). "A continent ablaze: South America surpasses record for fires". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  2. ^ "GWIS - Statistics Portal". Global Wildfire Information System. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  3. ^ Evershed, Nick; Ball, Andy; Morton, Adam. "How big are the fires burning in Australia's north? Interactive map shows they've burned an area larger than Spain". the Guardian. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  4. ^ Barros, Edmar (2023-10-08). "'Without water, there is no life': Drought in Brazil's Amazon is sharpening fears for the future". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  5. ^ Maisonnave, Fabiano (2024-01-24). "Global warming was primary cause of unprecedented Amazon drought, study finds". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. ^ a b Ziegler, Maria Fernanda (2024-05-23). "Drought in the Brazil's Cerrado is the worst for at least seven centuries, study shows". Phys.org. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  7. ^ "Severe drought has returned to the Amazon. And it's happening earlier than expected". CNBC. Associated Press. 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  8. ^ Maisonnave, Fabiano (2024-08-03). "Severe drought has returned to the Amazon. And it's happening earlier than expected". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  9. ^ a b Valdez, Carlos (2024-09-07). "Bolivia declara emergencia nacional y alerta sanitaria por incendios; pide ayuda internacional". Associated Press (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  10. ^ "Brazil's Amazon rainforest sees worst 6 months of wildfires in 20 years, data shows". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  11. ^ a b Barber, Harriet (2024-07-09). "Devastation as world's biggest wetland burns: 'those that cannot run don't stand a chance'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  12. ^ Genot, Louis (2 July 2024). "Brazil's Amazon sees worst 6 months of wildfires in 20 years". Phys.org. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  13. ^ "Wildfires affecting 30 cities in Brazil's Sao Paulo state, leave 2 dead". Reuters. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  14. ^ Gabriel Barreira (14 September 2024). "Secretaria de Meio Ambiente anuncia fechamento de parques por causa de incêndios no RJ". G1 (in Portuguese).
  15. ^ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (10 June 2024). "Brazil wildfires: Parts of Pantanal wetlands ablaze amid drought". BBC. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  16. ^ a b Luna, Patricia; Plaza, Alexandre (4 February 2024). "At least 46 reported dead in Chile as forest fires move into densely populated central areas". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Forest fires kill 131 in Chile's worst disaster since 2010 earthquake". The Jerusalem Post. Reuters. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Dozens killed in Chile as forest fires rage, many more feared dead". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 4 February 2024. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  19. ^ Akbarzai, Sahar; Paddinson, Laura (6 February 2024). "Wildfires that are turning neighborhoods to ash are likely Chile's deadliest on record, UN agency says". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  20. ^ "More than 50 people killed as forest fires rage in Chile". Al Jazeera. 4 February 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Forest fires kill 112 in Chile's worst disaster since 2010 earthquake". Gulf News. Reuters. 5 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  22. ^ "At least 99 dead in Chile wildfires". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 4 February 2024. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  23. ^ Jordan, Dearbail (25 May 2024). "Chile arrests firefighter for blaze that killed 137". BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Gobierno de México envía ayuda humanitaria a Chile ante emergencia por incendios forestales". Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. 5 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  25. ^ "México envía 26 toneladas de despensas a Chile por incendios". El Mañana. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  26. ^ Bocanegra, Nelson; Griffin, Oliver (2024-01-25). "Colombia to declare a natural disaster over wildfires". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  27. ^ "Wildfires rage near Colombia's capital as temperatures soar". Al Jazeera. 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  28. ^ "Colombia: Authorities issue alerts across much of the country due to the threat of wildfires as of Jan. 25". Crisis24. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  29. ^ "El fuego arrasa más de 12.000 hectáreas de bosques en Colombia, que lidia con 20 incendios" [Fires ravage more than 12,000 hectares of forests in Colombia, which is dealing with 20 fires]. Forbes Colombia (in Spanish). EFE. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  30. ^ "Más de 1.900 incendios forestales se han registrado en Ecuador en lo que va del 2024". El Universo (in Spanish). August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  31. ^ "SitRep No. 4 – Incendios Forestales, del 23 de agosto de 2024 a la fecha" (PDF) (in Spanish). Secretaría Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos de Ecuador. September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  32. ^ "Peru Struggles to Fight Deadly Wildfires". Time. Associated Press. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  33. ^ a b c Aquino, Marco; Villegas, Alexander (16 September 2024). Maler, Sandra (ed.). "Peru calls on farmers to halt burns amid deadly fire season". Reuters. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  34. ^ "At least 15 dead since July and thousands of hectares scorched as wildfires sweep Peru". Associated Press. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  35. ^ a b Why is the government unable to contain the fires? | DW News. Deutsche Welle. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-18 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ Incendios forestales de la Amazonia Legal en Brasil [Number of fires in the Legal Amazon in Brazil from 2005 to 2023]. Statista (Report) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-18.
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