Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (AFP) – Brazil recorded 13,489 wildfires in the first half of the year in the Amazon, the worst figure in 20 years, satellite data revealed Monday.

The total was up 61 percent as compared with the same period last year — an increase that experts say is the result of a historic drought that struck the world’s largest tropical rainforest last year.

lg/sst/des

© Agence France-Presse

Featured image credit: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Public Domain (Note: “The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.”)

Image: Abstract globe (s. climate news, climate change, heat)
‘Destructive’ fossil fuels behind energy and climate crises: UN chiefNews

‘Destructive’ fossil fuels behind energy and climate crises: UN chief

Paris, France | AFP UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for the world to act with "far greater urgency" to limit global warming, warning that fossil…
SourceSourceJune 23, 2026 Full article
Image: wheat
France heading to one of worst wheat harvests in 40 yearsNews

France heading to one of worst wheat harvests in 40 years

Paris, France (AFP) - France is heading for one of its worst wheat harvests in 40 years, after a rainy winter and sparse sunny conditions…
SourceSourceAugust 9, 2024 Full article
Image: Tiehm buckwheat (s. rare plants)
Flower or power? Campaigners fear lithium mine could kill rare plantNews

Flower or power? Campaigners fear lithium mine could kill rare plant

United States | AFP Delicate pink buds sway in the desert breeze, pregnant with yellow pompoms whose explosion will carpet the dusty corner of Nevada…
SourceSourceMay 23, 2024 Full article