The worst drought since 1950 was in 2024. The number of fires in the entire Brazilian country increased significantly, but most of the fires occurred in the Amazon area, the largest tropical forest in Brazil. The areas devastated there were larger than those affected throughout Brazil.

This has been a matter of great concern, particularly with regard to the environment and climate change. According to Ane Alencar, coordinator of MapBiomas, the most affected areas were the forests. He explains that this makes the situation particularly serious, because the recovery of a forest takes years. “When forests burn, they don’t recover quickly, and when another drought comes, the risk of them burning again increases,” he warns.

Although President Lula has taken action against deforestation in recent years, Alencar notes that this is not enough to control the number of fires. The government’s action, despite its opposition to deforestation, explains that it does not guarantee that the increase in fires will be stopped and that there is a risk of a more serious situation in the future. He reports that deforestation is part of the problem, but highlights that another part is due to human actions.

Alencarrel highlights the high risk of a similar situation in 2025 and the need for rainfall to achieve forest recovery. Finally, the coordinator of MapBiomas emphasizes that forest conservation and the fight against climate change cannot be separated.