A tract of Amazon jungle burning is seen in Apui, Amazonas state, Brazil Aug. 31, 2019.BRUNO KELLY/Reuters
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research says there were 30,901 fires in the Amazon region in August, the highest for the month since 2010.
The data released on Sunday show there was a 196-per-cent increase in fires in comparison with August of last year. In August of 2010 ,there were 45,018 fires. Fires are most common in the Amazon during August through October during the dry season.
The data come amid an international outcry over the increase in fires in the Amazon and President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policies, which favour economic development over conservation.
Brazil contains about 60 per cent of the Amazon rainforest, a key regulator in the planet’s living systems. Its trees take in as much as two billion tons of carbon dioxide every year.
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