Space Industry and Business News
WOOD PILE
Brazil's Amazon saw highest number of fires in 17 years: agency
Brazil's Amazon saw highest number of fires in 17 years: agency
by AFP Staff Writers
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Jan 1, 2025

Brazil's Amazon rainforest experienced its highest number of fires in 17 years in 2024, government data published Wednesday showed, after the vast biome suffered months of a lengthy drought.

There were 140,328 fires detected by satellite imaging over the year, according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

That was 42 percent more than the 98,634 fires recorded in 2023 -- and the most since 2007, when 186,463 forest fires were seen.

Despite the high number of blazes, however, there were indications that the total area that suffered deforestation could be the lowest in years.

In early November, INPE said deforestation in the region in the 12-month period up to August 2024 had fallen by more than 30 percent, year-on-year, and was at the lowest amount in nine years.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made preservation of the Amazon a priority for his government, which in November this year will host the UN's COP30 climate conference in the Amazonian city of Belem.

Europe's climate monitor, the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said last month that severe drought had stoked wildfires across South America in 2024.

Thick plumes of smoke at times clouded major cities including Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo last year, with choking pollution that lingered for several weeks.

Drought has parched the Amazon region since mid-2023, driven by human-caused climate change and the El Nino warming phenomenon.

This helped to create conditions for the massive blazes, but experts say that most fires were set deliberately by farmers to clear land for agriculture.

Scientists warn that continued deforestation will put the Amazon on track to reach a point where it will emit more carbon than it absorbs, accelerating climate change.

Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WOOD PILE
Stora Enso reports impairments of 724 mn euros
Helsinki (AFP) Dec 18, 2024
Finnish-Swedish forestry group Stora Enso said Wednesday it will record impairments totalling some 724 million euros ($760 million) in its fourth quarter, citing weaker demand and increased costs. The company said the impairments were mainly a result of it predicting a weaker cash flow in the long-term from its packaging divisions in China and western Europe and its wood products division in northern Europe. "The main reasons behind the weaker estimates are lower sales prices, increasing cost ... read more

WOOD PILE
Trump announces $20 bn Emirati investment in US data centers

Transforming education with virtual reality and artificial intelligence

New method turns e-waste to gold

Microsoft expects to spend $80 bn on AI this fiscal year

WOOD PILE
Quadsat and NATO NCIA validate Quadsat system for WGS compliance testing

ESA to support development of secure EU communications satellite constellation

IRIS2 contract signed to strengthen Europe's space connectivity and security

SpaceRISE to develop and operate Europe's IRIS2 connectivity network under new EU contract

WOOD PILE
WOOD PILE
SpaceX launches Space Force Rapid Response Trailblazer

GPS alternative for drone navigation leverages celestial data

Deciphering city navigation AI advances GNSS error detection

China advances next-generation BeiDou satellite navigation system

WOOD PILE
South Korea begins lifting Jeju Air wreckage after fatal crash

Black box of Azerbaijan crashed plane sent to Brazil for investigation: authorities

Several airlines cancel flights to Russia after Azerbaijan Airlines crash

Airbus US Space and Defense partners with Aerostar to advance stratospheric ISR technologies

WOOD PILE
New nanocrystals offer potential for faster energy-efficient computing

Integrated spin wave storage advances quantum networks

Grapes enhance quantum sensor performance

Rice team advances quantum simulation for electron transfer understanding

WOOD PILE
ICEYE secures $65M funding extension reaching $158M total for 2024 investments

Introducing Wherobots Raster Inference to unleash innovation with Earth imagery

Earth AI unveils new gold discovery near molybdenum project at Willow Glen

Changes in store for atmospheric rivers

WOOD PILE
Dozens of marine mammals found dead after Russian oil tanker spill

Volunteers clean up Bali's beach from "worst" monsoon-driven trash

Oil from Russian tanker spill reaches Sevastopol

Indian duo self-immolate in Bhopal waste protest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.