Brazil on fire: Igniting awareness of the 2024 wildfire crisis.

Abstract

In 2024, South America faced an unprecedented wildfire crisis, with Brazil among the hardest-hit countries. Home to globally significant biomes like the Amazon, Pantanal, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest, Brazil's ecosystems are undergoing massive destruction. Despite the severity of the 2024 wildfires-surpassing even the internationally scrutinized 2020 wildfires-the current disaster remains underreported internationally. Here, we seek to raise global awareness and advocate for immediate, collaborative action to mitigate Brazil's escalating wildfire emergency. We examined the scope, ecological impact, and socioeconomic consequences of the 2024 fires in Brazil, highlighting record-breaking areas burned and widespread wildfire foci. These wildfires are devastating biodiversity, endangering public health, and intensifying environmental injustices across the country. Our analysis reveals a significant relationship between deforestation and wildfire incidence the following year. Smoke pollution reached hazardous levels, impacting urban populations and disproportionately affecting Indigenous communities. Key drivers of this crisis include unsustainable land-use practices, extreme climate conditions, and governance failures, with response efforts hindered by underfunded environmental agencies. This situation underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement of environmental policies, rapid allocation of emergency resources, and the implementation of Brazil's Integrated Fire Management (IFM) programs across federal, state, and private lands. We call for sustained international support, directly targeted at Brazilian agencies, to bolster fire prevention, response, and ecosystem resilience. Protecting Brazil's biomes is a global priority, requiring consistent advocacy and action that transcends political shifts.