Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has arrived in the Amazon to confront the alarming droughts and wildfires sweeping through vast portions of the country. In what is being described as the worst drought in over 40 years, President Lula visited riverside communities near the city of Tefé to witness firsthand the devastating impact on the mighty Amazonian rivers, many of which are now reduced to arid, desert-like landscapes.
Lula expressed deep concern over the increasing severity of wildfires and droughts, which have ravaged three of Brazil’s critical biomes: the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado, and the Pantanal wetlands. “It seems to me that things are getting worse, year after year after year,” he remarked during his visit to Amazonas state, where all 62 municipalities have declared a state of emergency, affecting over 340,000 residents.
Lula’s concerns come as wildfires, often deliberately set, rage uncontrollably, consuming forests and ecosystems across Brazil. The drought has pushed the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, into its worst crisis in 73 years. The consequences are being felt far beyond the Amazon. In Rio Branco, the capital of Acre state, schools have been closed, and flights were diverted due to heavy smoke. Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia state, has seen the Madeira River fall to its lowest level since the 1960s.
The effects of these climate events extend across Brazil, with even major cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo seeing a sharp decline in air quality. According to Brazil’s space research institution, Inpe, smoke from the wildfires now covers a staggering 5 million square kilometers—approximately 60% of the country.
Greenpeace Brazil’s Amazon campaigner Danicley de Aguiar said Brazil is facing a “gigantic drought” that is impacting not only the north but also regions across the midwest, south, and northeast. Indigenous communities have been hit especially hard, with large parts of their territories burning. Aguiar warned that the drought and fires could soon lead to widespread hunger, as crops that sustain Indigenous populations are jeopardized.
Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, attributes the crisis to global climate change and the intensifying effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon. As the situation worsens, Brazil faces an uncertain and perilous future.