The Amazon in Flames: Deforestation and fire in the Amazon during the COVID-19 Pandemic

8 de June de 2020

Jun 8, 2020

Paulo Moutinho, Ane Alencar, Ludmila Rattis, Vera Arruda, Isabel Castro, Paulo Artaxo

A deforested area of at least 4,500 square kilometers in the Brazilian Amazon, three times larger than the city of São Paulo, Brazil, is ready to burn. The result of the sum of what was felled in the first four months of last year—still not burned. This fallen vegetation on the ground can go up in smoke with the dry season that began in June in another season of intense fire like we observed in 2019. If this happens, the number of hospitalizations for respiratory problems can increase significantly, putting further pressure on the region’s healthcare system, which is already severely affected by COVID-19.

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