Hyderabad: Planet's lung, Amazon rainforest in South America, is on fire for almost a decade destroying the rain forest and causing monumental damage to the environment.
The World Meteorological Organization said this week that satellite images show smoke from Amazon fires is reaching as far as the Atlantic coast and Sao Paulo.
Brazil has witnessed over 75,000 fires in this year, half out of which were reported in the Amazon itself.
Brazil contains about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, whose degradation could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall.
The states that have been most affected by fires this year are Matto Grosso, Para and Amazonas — all in the Amazon region — accounting for 41.7 percent of all fires.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that some non-governmental groups could be setting the blazes in retaliation for losing state funds under his administration.
Bolsonaro did not provide any evidence for his allegation, which escalated international concern over the vast rainforest that is a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
A United Nations spokesperson said on Thursday that the organisation is "very concerned" about the most recent forest fires in the Amazon, adding that "sustaining forest is crucial in our fight against climate change."
Speaking in New York, Stephane Dujarric said that all forests are essential for the health of the entire world.
On Thursday, activists demanded action on climate change during a session at the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week in Salvador, Brazil.
The government of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, are under pressure to comply with Brazil's pledge to fight global warming.
Bolsonaro, a far-right climate skeptic, has made clear that he intends to make major changes to Brazil's environmental policy, including opening the globally vital Amazon rainforest to development and agribusiness.
Bolsonaro has said that he wants to convert land for cattle pastures and soybean farms, won office after channeling outrage over the corruption scandals of the former government.
As fires raged in the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian government on Thursday denounced international critics who say President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing enough to curb massive deforestation.
The growing threat to what some call "the lungs of the planet" has ignited a bitter dispute about who is to blame during the tenure of a leader who described Brazil's rainforest protections as an obstacle to economic development.
The president's defiance came as its own federal experts reported a record number of wildfires across the country this year, up 84 percent over the same period in 2018.
Bolsonaro, who won election last year, accused media organizations of exploiting the fires to undermine his government.
Some NGOs, environmentalists and academics have been blaming the Brazilian administration's pro-development policies for a sharp increase in Amazon deforestation shown in the latest data from the space research institute.
The government is also facing international pressure to protect the vast rainforest from illegal logging or mining activities.
Amazon is often referred to as the lungs of our planet because it is a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Bolsonaro, who once threatened to leave the Paris climate accord, has repeatedly attacked environmental nonprofits, seen as obstacles in his quest to develop the country's full economic potential, including in protected areas.
Brazilians and particularly farmers could be the first victims of excessive deforestation, as it could affect the regional climate, bringing higher temperatures and less rain.
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