The Amazon and other ecosystems in Brazil saw a record number of wildfires in the first six months of 2024, according to report on Monday.
According to data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, the Amazon saw 13,489 wildfires in the first half of the year — up more than 61% compared to the same period last year.
Only the years 2003 and 2004 saw more fires in the first six months since records began in 1998.
Meanwhile, 3,538 wildfires were recorded in the vast Pantanal wetlands, making it the worst six months ever recorded and representing an increase of more than 2000% compared to last year.
Another 13,229 wildfires recorded in the Cerrado, one of the world's major savanna regions.
What's behind the rise in wildfires?
Experts and state officials have attributed the number of wildfires in the Amazon and other regions to climate change.
Romulo Batista, a spokesperson of the Brazilian branch of Greenpeace, said the Amazon is under stress due to a lack of rain.
"The environment is drier, and thus vegetation is more dried out and more vulnerable to fires," he said.
In the Pantanal — a large wetland home to jaguars, caimans and giant otters — government officials said there was a serious drought. "The Pantanal is facing the worst drought in 70 years, exacerbated by climate change and one of the strongest El Ninos in history," Brazil's Environmental Ministry said.
The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 143, the local civil defense government body said on Sunday, up from 136 in the previous day, while another 125 people remain unaccounted for.
New rains in waterlogged southern Brazil are expected to be heaviest between Sunday and Monday, authorities have warned, bringing fresh misery to victims of flooding that has killed 136 people so far.
State authorities warned late Saturday of the risk of further rising waters and landslides.
“We are still experiencing an emergency situation,” Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite said in a video on Instagram. Heavy rains last week caused rivers in the agricultural state to overflow, leaving 806 injured and 125 missing in addition to those killed, the civil defense agency said. “Many people see the rain and are traumatized. We’ve seen how scared people are,” said Enio Posti, a firefighter in Porto Alegre, capital of stricken Rio Grande do Sul state.

Of the more than two million people affected by the flooding, more than 537,000 have been forced from their homes with 81,000 in shelters.

More than 92,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the floods, according to the National Confederation of Municipalities.

UN experts and the Brazilian government blame climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon for the inundation.

US President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the flooding”, adding that Washington was “working to provide necessary assistance” in coordination with Brazilian authorities.

Residents were told to stay away from flooded areas, with dangers including electrocution by downed power lines.

“I was soaked. They helped me and gave me clothes,” 36-year-old Everton Machado told AFP after being rescued by boat while searching for his parents.