More fires burning in Angola and Congo than in the Amazon: Maps

Brazil is the third worst-affected region by recent wildfires after two countries in Central Africa.

Amazon Brazil
The Group of Seven developed nations has pledged $40m to fight wildfires in the Amazon but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources [File: Victor Moriyama/Greenpeace/AFP]

Blazes burning in the Amazon have put heat on the environmental policies of President Jair Bolsonaro, but Brazil is actually third in the world in wildfires over the last 48 hours, according to MODIS satellite data analyzed by Weather Source.

Weather Source has recorded 6,902 fires in Angola over the past 48 hours, compared to 3,395 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2,127 in Brazil. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon for Central Africa.

According to NASA, which operates the Aqua satellite, over 67,000 fires were reported in a one-week period in June last year, as farmers employed slash and burn agriculture to clear land for crops.

Over the last 48 hours, Zambia placed fourth on the list, while Brazil’s neighbor in the Amazon, Bolivia, placed sixth.

Source: Bloomberg

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