Fires devour 81 million hectares of forests in the last decade

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From the Amazon basin to the Arctic, the planet's forests are burning as a result of the effects of climate change, deforestation and unsustainable land use . Between 2012 and 2022, fire has devoured 81.5 million hectares of forest worldwide, according to data from Global Forest Watch . The organization highlights that 2016, one of the warmest years on record, was the worst in forest fires, while Australia has been the country most devastated by this climate catastrophe in those years. Within the framework of the climate summit (COP28) being held in Dubai, countries will address the increase in droughts and heat waves throughout the planet, associated with climate change, and above all with a notable reduction in precipitation, which favors more flammable and weakened forests that burn easily, generating sixth generation fires , megafires that are very difficult to put out.

The deforestation of forests is another of the main causes of fires, especially with regard to commercial and subsistence agriculture, and today, most of the loss of forest areas for this reason is concentrated in Latin America, Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. To address this serious problem, environmentalists advocate protecting the human rights of indigenous peoples and local communities , promoting Special Data the conservation of areas rich in biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem services, as well as emphasizing the legality of production, trade and sustainable supply chains. Another aggravating factor of fires is the unsustainable use of land that deteriorates the quality of soils, making them more vulnerable to flames, which is why environmental policies are committed to "land governance" capable of clearly reducing the pressures of fires. economic activities on the ground.



Fires contribute to record emissions in 2023 In the Brazilian Amazon , fires, mostly related to deforestation, have devastated almost 20% of this unique ecosystem between 1985 and 2022. This enclave is considered the lung of the world due to its capacity to absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide and as a guarantor of global climate stability. The Arctic Circle , one of the areas that is currently warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, has seen in recent decades how forest fires, especially in the Sakha Republic of Russia, have decimated millions of hectares and have increased CO 2 emissions , in a catastrophe unprecedented in intensity and duration in this region. Australia , whose forest fire season began on the east coast just a month ago, faces a drier climate scenario than usual due to El Niño, a natural phenomenon caused by currents in the Pacific Ocean that, aggravated by global warming , could cause devastating disasters.