Brazil's northernmost state of Roraima is experiencing an alarming increase in wildfires, putting the Yanomami Indigenous people at severe risk. In just two months this year, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) recorded 2,606 fires in Roraima, surpassing the total number for all of 2023.
February alone saw a record-breaking 2,002 outbreaks, with the state accounting for nearly 30% of all fires in Brazil this year. The Yanomami communities are particularly vulnerable, with at least 251 blazes burning on their land. This exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by illegal miners encroaching on their territories.
\"Since last year we've been feeling this big change. Air humidity is very low and this has also led to problems with illness in families, especially children, and the heat is really abnormal,\" shared Tuxaua Cesar da Silva, an Indigenous leader from the Tabalascada community.
In response, Brazil's federal government convened meetings in the state capital Boa Vista to coordinate efforts. Environment Minister Marina Silva attributed the fires to a "terrible combination" of El Niño, arson, and climate change.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has made strides in reducing Amazon deforestation, cutting it by half in 2023 compared to the previous year. However, Greenpeace Brazil's spokesperson Romulo Batista warns that the situation remains precarious. He emphasized the need for better preparedness from state and federal officials, especially following last year's intense drought.
\"Once the climate is as dry as it is, as hot as it is, it's also a time when there's more wind, all of which feeds the fire and makes it very difficult to put it out,\" Batista explained.
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