For weeks now, forest fires have been burning across Brazil’s Amazon rainforest—generally a normal situation in the dry season, but the fires are much worse than normal this year. Brazil’s official numbers now tally more than 79,500 fires this year—more than half of those in the Amazon, making this the “most active fire year in that region since 2010.” The majority of these fires are intentional, set by farmers and ranchers to clear fields and open up land for grazing. The government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who promised to relax environmental protections, faces growing criticism in Brazil and abroad as the Amazon burns. Gathered here, images from Brazil taken over the past few days. Editor’s note: A government handout photo of an aircraft dropping water was removed from this story, after it was discovered to have been taken years earlier.
Photos: The Burning Amazon Rainforest
-
A laborer stares at a fire that spread to the farm he worked on next to a highway in Nova Santa Helena municipality in northern Mato Grosso state, in the Amazon basin in Brazil, on August 23, 2019. #
Joao Laet / AFP / Getty -
-
Firefighters work to put out forest fires along the road to Jacunda National Forest near Porto Velho, in the Vila Nova Samuel region, part of Brazil's Amazon, on August 25, 2019. #
Eraldo Peres / AP -
-
-
-
-
Activists demonstrate during a protest against the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over the fires in the Amazon rainforest, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 23, 2019. #
Mauro Pimentel / AFP / Getty -
-
The Brazilian actress Sonia Braga shows her hands painted red, representing blood, during a protest in defense of the Amazon while wildfires burn in that region, in Rio de Janeiro, on August 25, 2019. #
Bruna Prado / AP -
A protester holds a sign while attending a demonstration to demand more protection for the Amazon rainforest, in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 23, 2019. The sign reads "Save the forest." #
Adriano Machado / Reuters -
-
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.