Measure aims to provide a rapid response to the crisis that has already consumed 3 million hectares and is also affecting Brazil
Bolivia has declared a national emergency due to forest fires in the country. The measure was announced by the country’s Ministry of Defense on Saturday (September 7, 2024). The fires are concentrated in the Bolivian Pantanal and are at risk of spreading to Brazilian territory.
Speaking to a journalist, the head of Bolivian Defense, Edmundo Novillo, stated that the situation is serious, and that the decree will allow the coordination of emergency actions. “This will allow us to have more agile and effective support from friendly countries and international cooperation”he declared.
This year, fires in Bolivia have reached their highest number since 2010, with around 3 million hectares burned this year, according to data from the Inpe (National Institute for Space Research).
According to information from Reutersfirefighting teams are overwhelmed. There are reports of indigenous volunteers who volunteered to help put out the fires but were unsuccessful and had to leave their lands.
The climate crisis is spreading to Brazil, which is facing devastating fires, threatening entire cities and marking the worst start to the Amazon fire season in two decades.
FIRES IN BRAZIL
Brazil records 3,640 fire outbreaks this Sunday (September 8, 2024), according to consolidated data from the system BDBurningsfrom INPE. The Amazon concentrates the largest share of occurrences, with 1,847 – or 50.7%.
The state of Mato Grosso had the highest number of fires, with 1,893 outbreaks recorded in 24 hours. It is followed by Pará (593) and Amazonas (237). The country recorded 28,972 fire outbreaks from September 1 to 8.
Brazil ended August 2024 with the worst number of fires in 14 years. There were 68,635 occurrences – the 5th highest in the historical series, which began in 1998. An increase of 144% compared to the same period in 2023.
The country is experiencing a historic drought, with the worst dry spell in 44 years, according to the Cemaden (National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters), linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
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