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Reuters are reporting that INPE, Brazil’s space research agency have recorded 346,112 fire hotspots across the continent of South America up to 11th September.
This is higher than the 345,322 fires recorded in 2007, the previous highest since records began in 1998.
In Bolivia, the previous highest annual total has already been passed and the Government have declared a national state of emergency. While Brazil and Bolivia have had the most fires recently followed by Peru, Argentina and Paraguay.
Many of the fires are started by humans but the rapid uncontrolled spread is being driven by prolonged droughts and heatwaves which are attributed to climate change.
Brazil beef production and exports
The number of cattle slaughtered in Brazil in the second quarter of 2024 was 9.96m head according to a survey by IBGE, Brazil’s statistics agency of cattle processed under a health inspection service.
This is a 17.5% increase compared with the same period in 2023 and the highest since the survey was first undertaken in 1997.
In actual numbers it means that almost 1.5m more cattle were slaughtered in Brazil during the second quarter of 2024 than in the same period last year. Ireland’s total annual slaughter in 2023 was just under 1.8m head.
The increase was partly attributed to a 20.8% increase in the number of female cattle processed compared with a 14.8% increase in male cattle slaughtered.
Increased Brazilian beef output has in turn led to a substantial increase in beef exports with new monthly record totals being reported. For the second quarter, exports were up a massive 30% at a record 612,440 tonnes and in July a new monthly record of almost 266,000 tonnes was exported.
Rainforest clearance
Having reached over 13,000 km2 in 2020, the highest level of forest clarence since 2006, the area cleared has fallen in 2022 and again in 2023 to just over 9,000 km2 (TerraBrasilis). This reflects a tougher approach by the Government of President Lula who replaced Jair Bolsonaro at the beginning of 2023.
This has been a sticking point in implementation of the trade deal with the EU but the reduction under the current president has reopened the possibility of the deal being concluded early in 2025.
Comment
Farmers in Ireland and across the EU point out the inequity of restrictions that are imposed on their output while it increases elsewhere in the world, and in particular in Brazil.
However it should be pointed out that production in Europe is usually on land that has been cleared of forest over recent centuries whereas expansion of Brazilian beef production into rainforest areas is a relatively recent development.
It is a similar argument on industrialisation with the developing world saying that it is unjust for the developed world to deny them the opportunity that they had previously.
This is what makes the global debate on climate change response so complex but it is striking to observe the parallel record levels of forest fires at a time of record beef production and exports.
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