ARN News Centre

Amazon forest fires increased by 30% in 2019: Report

Thursday, 9 January 2020 11:54

As bushfires continue to threaten parts of Australia, new stats show that Amazon fires grew by 30.5 per cent in 2019.

According to the data released by space research agency INPE, the number of fires detected in the Amazon region was 89,178 in 2019 compared with 68,345 fires in 2018.

It also identified the rising number of fires last year in other Brazilian ecosystems such as Pantanal and Cerrado.

Critics have blamed President Jair Bolsonaro's government for contributing to the deforestation and for emboldening ranchers by calling for the Amazon to be developed.

More from International

US-Iran peace talks end without agreement, delegations leave Pakistan

The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end their war despite marathon talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire.
Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of ceasefire violations

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Sunday of breaching the 32-hour ceasefire in their four-year war, reporting more than a thousand drone and shelling attacks just hours after the truce began on Saturday to mark Orthodox Easter.
At least 30 dead in stampede at Haiti’s historic Laferriere Citadel

At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at the Laferriere Citadel in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
Cyclone lashes New Zealand's North Island, hundreds evacuated

A cyclone battered New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, cutting power to thousands of residents and forcing hundreds to evacuate, as officials warned conditions would worsen through the day.
US-Iran talks pause for now, disagreements remain

Negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared to have concluded for now, Iran's government has announced early on Sunday, after a series of talks in Pakistan to end the six-week war between Washington and Tehran.