Brazil's Burned Vegetation Surges 79% in 2024, Devastating Amazon

A record 30.8 million hectares were destroyed by fires, with human activity and climate extremes driving the crisis.

• In 2024, Brazil experienced its largest vegetation loss to fires in five years, with 30.8 million hectares burned, a 79% increase from 2023.
• The Amazon accounted for 58% of the destruction, with 17.9 million hectares lost, surpassing the total area burned nationwide in 2023.
• Over 140,000 fire outbreaks were recorded, the highest in 17 years, exacerbated by drier vegetation linked to climate change and human activities like illegal land clearing.
• For the first time, more forested areas were burned than pastures in the Amazon, destroying 8.5 million hectares of critical carbon-capturing ecosystems.
• The findings heighten urgency ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where leaders will address climate action as the nation grapples with environmental and political challenges.

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