South America Breaks Record for Wildfires Amid Severe Drought

Extreme weather fueled by climate change has led to unprecedented fires across the continent, affecting millions and causing significant environmental damage.

Brazil's space research agency Inpe recorded 346,112 fire hotspots across South America this year, surpassing the previous 2007 record.
Massive fires are ravaging Brazil's Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal wetlands, and dry forests in Bolivia, creating extensive smoke plumes visible from space.
Brazil and Bolivia have deployed thousands of firefighters, but extreme weather conditions continue to fuel the blazes.
Scientists attribute the fires to human activities and climate change, with South America experiencing a series of heatwaves and its worst drought on record.
Smoke from the fires has severely impacted air quality in major cities like Sao Paulo and La Paz, leading to health warnings and increased hospital visits for respiratory issues.