Amazon Wildfires Could Become 'More Flammable' Due to Severe Drought and El Nino Phenomenon

Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in South America have increased in previous years and they could intensify and become longer. According to the Brazilian government, drought in the Amazon jungle has already affected agricultural production areas. Meanwhile, the El Nino phenomenon is causing below-average rainfall, through warmer winters, across the region. These calamities are even related to recurring Amazon wildfires.

Scientists have warned that the Amazon wildfires could become "more flammable" due to the combined impacts of severe drought conditions and El Nino events. These factors are in addition to the high temperatures being recorded across the region. Since the Amazon is the world's most biologically diverse rainforest, an immeasurable number of flora and fauna can be affected by the growing environmental threat.

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest consists of a vast area of trees and inland waters, including long river systems, that is home to various animal species. With a total area of 6.7 million square kilometers, this natural wonder also spans eight countries and one overseas territory in South America, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). However, the rainforest is also vulnerable to persistent, destructive wildfires, as seen over the decades.

The Amazon is not only a haven for animals, as well as home to indigenous people, it also influences rainfall cycles across South America. This is possible as the trees release 20 billion tons of water into the air daily, the WWF adds. Yet, deforestation in the rainforest recorded by the Brazilian government in recent years has reached unprecedented heights, in addition to other hazards like climate change and global warming.

In a February 2024 report, scientists state the rainforest is "becoming increasingly flammable" since Amazon wildfires are spreading faster and higher elevations, even in areas not directly affected by deforestation. The report also highlights the Amazon forest fires are becoming more frequent compared to the past when fires in the region did not occur spontaneously and are usually caused by anthropogenic or human-induced factors.

Drought and El Nino

Climate change that has impacted the Amazon region is behind the increased intensification and frequency of extreme drought events, according to Bernardo Flores, a researcher at Brazil's Federal University of Santa Catarina. Accompanied by heat waves, dry conditions allow wildfires to spread faster compared to scenarios where trees have moisture. With this, Amazon wildfires in 2024 could last until April, contrasting their peak in March, scientists warn.

In 2019, a year-to-year surge in wildfires had been reported throughout the Amazon rainforest, primarily in the forested land jurisdictions of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Local communities were also put at risk as the fires poison the air millions of people breathe, according to a 2020 report by the Human Rights Watch, the Institute for Health Policy Studies, and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute.