Brazilian Forest Fires Enter Tenth Day... Area Equivalent to 23,000 Football Fields Lost

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In the central-western forest region of Brazil, fires have continued for more than 10 days, forcing hundreds of residents and tourists to evacuate. So far, an area equivalent to about 23,000 soccer fields of vast forest has turned to ashes.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 22nd (local time), the fire started about ten days ago in Chapada dos Veadeiros, a forest region in central-western Brazil, and spread to a nearby national park, prompting authorities to issue an emergency evacuation order for residents and tourists. Brazilian authorities estimate that the fire has burned forest land equivalent to about 23,000 soccer fields and caused significant damage to grain cultivation areas such as corn.

Brazilian firefighting authorities are conducting extinguishing operations using firefighting helicopters, but the vast area of the fire and strong winds are making the efforts difficult. During the recovery process after the fire, it was revealed that in 61% of the affected areas, fires reoccurred more than twice, raising criticism of the authorities' poor management.

Fires occurring in Brazil's forest regions not only destroy ecosystems but are also pointed out as a major cause of climate change due to massive carbon dioxide emissions. According to the "Ecosystem Mapping Project," which involves major Brazilian universities, environmental NGOs, and IT companies, from 1985 to 2020, over 36 years, approximately 1,673,142 km² of forest?nearly 20% of Brazil's total land area of 8,515,700 km²?was lost to fires.