09/28/2024 – 21:50
Copernicus, an Earth observation program from the European Union, pointed out a large red spot over Brazil, this Saturday, the 28th. The spot could be a consequence of the fires that hit the country, especially the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal regions. Since last year, the number of fires in Brazil has grown by 91% compared to the same period last year, according to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).
Copernicus analyzes the planet’s environment and measures solid and liquid particles in the atmosphere, known as atmospheric aerosols, which can have direct and indirect consequences on the climate and affect human health. The program also measures the concentration of carbon monoxide in the country.
The fires that take place in Brazil cause pollution that is captured by the Atmospheric Monitoring Service of the Copernicus observatory. The redder the stain, the greater the pollution concentrated in the air.
The report contacted the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and is awaiting a response. The most recent fire bulletin released on Wednesday, 25, by the ministry points out that federal government actions fought 931 fires in the Amazon, Pantanal and Cerrado this year, of which 79% were extinguished. 3,518 field professionals were mobilized for combat and, among the resources, 39 aircraft, including two planes and six helicopters from the Armed Forces.
Brazilian capitals have unhealthy air quality
Monitoring carried out by the Swiss organization IQAir showed that five Brazilian capitals had unhealthy air quality this Saturday. In one of them, Rio Branco, in Acre, the condition was even worse, classified as very unhealthy. The city reached 261 points in the IQAir assessment between 2 and 2:30 pm this Saturday. At 5:20 pm, the air in Rio Branco had already improved to 196 points, but was still in an unhealthy condition.
The other four are Goiânia, in Goiás (180 points); Porto Velho, in Rondônia (179 points); Campo Grande, in Mato Grosso do Sul and Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, both with 112 points.
The weather portal measures the concentration of particulate matter suspended in the air, focusing on very fine dust particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM 2.5), small enough to penetrate and cause damage to the respiratory system. . According to the rating, from 0-50 the rating is good; from 51-100, moderate; from 101-150, unhealthy for sensitive groups; from 151-300, very unhealthy; above 300, dangerous air.
In the case of Rio Branco, the concentration of PM 2.5 in the air is 37.2 times above the value of the annual air quality guideline recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Fortaleza, in Ceará, appears as the Brazilian capital with the best air quality, with 16 points, according to the IQAir index. The capitals of Pernambuco, Recife, with 38 also received a good quality rating; Paraná, Curitiba (38) and Pará, Belém (36).
The capitals Rio de Janeiro (50) and São Paulo (55) have moderate air quality, as do other Brazilian capitals, including Brasília, in the Federal District (65).
The capitals with unhealthy air quality are in areas most affected by forest fires in recent weeks: two of them in the Amazon (Rio Branco and Porto Velho); two in the Center West (Goiânia and Campo Grande) and one in the Southeast (Minas Gerais).
Brazil recorded 207,484 fires this year, according to Inpe. The increase is 91% compared to the same period in 2023, when there were 108,546. The states with the most outbreaks are Mato Grosso (45,251), Pará (36,018), Amazonas (22,058) and Tocantins (15,026), all in the Amazon region.
The reporter contacted the city hall of Rio Branco, a city with the most air pollution, according to IQAir, and has not yet heard back.
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