The climate emergency scenario is already enough to increase the risk of forest fires. Fire, however, has also become a risk for economic investments in the Amazon. This was stated during the panel “Impact of fire on the investment scenario in the Amazon”, on Thursday (17), during Amazon Climate Week, in Belém (PA). The event was supported by the Vale Fund, Hydro, the Walmart Foundation and Norad, and was organized by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute).
Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director, presented data showing that fires are on the rise. In 2024 alone, 30 million hectares were burned in Brazil, an increase of 64% on the historical average. According to Ane, climate change favors a more flammable forest, but she believes that preventing and controlling fires can help mitigate this scenario.
“We use fire in our homes, but we control it. If we used fire to take a shower, and the fire got out of control, there wouldn’t be enough firefighters to put out the number of fires in people’s homes,” he said. “It’s the same in rural areas. Lots of people use fire. But it has to be done responsibly, otherwise the fire department, the army, Ibama, ICMBio, all the brigades available, won’t be able to control and fight the fire in a climate like this.”
If the scenario continues with high rates of forest fires, the economic impact is inevitable, according to Andrea Azevedo, vice-president at Emergent, responsible for the LEAF Coalition, which brings together organizations and companies to create incentives for states that meet environmental preservation targets and criteria. For her, repeating the 2024 result on the fire issue means a loss of money for state coffers.
“The demand also comes from social control, from a greater perception that reducing deforestation, fire and degradation in general generates dividends and is important, as well as improving the business environment,” she said.
Pará’s example
Renata Nobre, assistant secretary for water resources and climate management at Semas (Pará’s Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability), presented the results of the Pará without Fire program, which has made prevention a priority in order to avoid undoing the state government’s efforts in the event of forest fires.
“This compromises our REDD program. How can we talk about restoring degraded areas when there is such a huge threat from uncontrolled fires?” he asked.
The Pará Without Fire initiative has made it possible to map 22 priority areas, as well as ensuring faster responses from fire brigades based on integrated coordination between state agencies.
“We’re looking for information campaigns, but above all for training and structuring equipment and capable human resources so that we have firefighters frequently so that, when the fire breaks out, we have the capacity to act sooner,” he said.
This activity is a self-organized event of the 1st Amazon Climate Week and is part of the event’s official program.
Find out more at: semanadoclimaamazonia.com.br
