Amazon Rainforest Faces Worst Fire Season in 20 Years Amid Severe Drought

Firefighters in the Brazilian Amazon are battling the worst fires in 20 years due to record-breaking droughts and global warming. The blazes are posing a significant challenge to President Lula's environmental commitments ahead of the COP30 climate summit. Early deforestation victories are overshadowed by recent setbacks.

In the Brazilian Amazon, fire brigades are struggling against the region's worst fire season in 20 years, fueled by a record-breaking drought and exacerbated by global warming, according to government satellite data.

Smoke has engulfed the horizon along the Transamazonian Highway near Apui, in the southern region of Amazonas state. Firefighters, dressed in bright yellow protective gear, have been working around the clock to combat the fires, which are unexpectedly early and intense this year. Their efforts include using back-mounted water sprayers and leaf blowers, but large blazes continue to ravage both forests and pastures.

The fires are a serious test for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to strengthen Brazil's environmental policies ahead of hosting the United Nations COP30 climate summit next year. The ongoing drought, influenced by last year's delayed and weak rains due to an El Nino weather pattern, has made the Amazon more susceptible to fires, particularly those that start on cattle ranches where forest is being turned into pastureland.

(With inputs from agencies.)