New outbreaks of fire in Brazil’s Amazon forest

Around 2,000 new fires have been recorded in the Amazon, despite the Brazilian government’s 60-day burning ban issued on Aug. 29.

The Brazilian National Space Research Institute (INPE) released satellite data showing that two days after the government decided to issue its ban on burning lands, almost 4,000 new fires started, with more than half of them taking place in the Amazon.

The South American country has had more than 72,000 fire outbreaks up to this point this year. This represents an 84 percent increase in comparison with the same period in 2018. The vast majority of the fires affected the rainforest.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro said he was confronting the #AmazonFires crisis by imposing a 60 day ban on fire-setting. Yet nearly 2,000 new fires have started in the Amazon in the past 48 hours. More action is needed from Bolsonaro to REALLY stop the fires. https://t.co/5K9s3Yesbo

— AMAZON WATCH (@AmazonWatch) September 2, 2019

But Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed the reports and refused US$20 million help from the European Union, saying he would perhaps change his mind under the condition French President Emmanuel Macron apologizes for calling him “rude.”

Sources: Independent, NDTV, Science Alert.