The Amazon is on fire - how bad is it?
Activists say the anti-environment rhetoric of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has encouraged such tree-clearing activities.
Roraima saw a 141% increase, Acre 138%, Rondônia 115% and Amazonas 81%. Mato Grosso do Sul, further south, saw a 114% increase.The fires are emitting large amounts of smoke and carbonAccording to the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service ,Planet Labs IncThe fires have been releasing a large amount of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 228 megatonnes so far this year, according to Cams, the highest since 2010.
Maps from Cams show this carbon monoxide - toxic at high levels - being carried beyond South America's coastlines. But when trees are cut or burned, the carbon they are storing is released into the atmosphere and the rainforest's capacity to absorb carbon emissions is reduced.A number of other countries in the Amazon basin - an area spanning 7.4m sq km - have also seen a high number of fires this year.
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