Climate Change Intensifies Pantanal Wildfires by 40%

Human-caused climate change has made extreme fire conditions in the Pantanal more frequent and severe, with devastating impacts on biodiversity and local communities.

• Wildfires in the Pantanal have increased by 1,500% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023.
• Climate change has made the hot, dry, and windy conditions driving these fires four to five times more likely.
• The Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, has lost 81% of its surface water since 1985.
• This year's fires have already burned 1.3 million hectares, nearly 9% of the Pantanal's area.
• New policies in Brazil aim to improve fire management and coordination to mitigate future risks.

3 Articles

The Guardian Carbon Brief Context