Amazon fires in 2024: Climate action setbacks and long-term effects | Experts’ Opinions

The wildfires that hit Amazon in 2024 have set new records of devastation, being responsible for 60% of the mature tropical forest destroyed in Latin America. The area affected by the fires was 142% larger than in 2023, demonstrating that the government’s actions and plans to reduce deforestation had also been “burnt to ashes of progress”. Combined with rising temperatures and the El Niño phenomenon, the tropical forests became a tinderbox, ready to ignite at any time. But the destruction aside, the Amazon wildfires also caused massive pollution, releasing around 1.15 gigatons of CO₂ — more than all of South America’s fossil fuel emissions in 2023. We have spoken to several experts about the long-term impact of the Amazon wildfires. Check out their professional opinions below.

DevelopmentAid: What long-term consequences could the 2024 Amazon wildfires have on climate resilience, livelihoods, and development efforts in Latin America, particularly for Indigenous and rural communities?

“The increase in forest fires deepens a systemic crisis that threatens both the livelihoods that keep the forest standing and the region’s overall climate resilience. Indigenous people and traditional communities, whose cosmovisions are shaped by the forest, and who in turn help to shape it in a symbiotic relationship as part of a living organism, are among the most directly affected. The destruction of territories, loss of humidity, and forest fragmentation undermine essential ecosystem services, worsen food insecurity, and leave the ecosystem more vulnerable, allowing fire to spread further into previously intact areas. This brings us closer to a tipping point, where vast stretches of the Amazon could collapse into a dry and degraded ecosystem, unable to sustain hydrological cycles and putting climate regulation and forest-dependent ways of life at serious risk. As the source of much of the rainfall that irrigates the continent, the collapse of the Amazon jeopardizes water and climate security far beyond the forest. Protecting the Amazon is protecting the planet.

“The long-term consequences are disastrous. Unfortunately, people, including governments, tend to think in the short term. Increasing human populations coupled with increasing demands for land, food, and resources are leading to more deforestation in the Amazon every day. As long as the financial and economic value of 1 hectare of grassland for cattle ranching in the Amazon is higher than the value of the rainforest itself, despite all our conferences on the importance of the Amazon for climate and biodiversity, this trend will continue despite warnings from leading scientists since 2008 that the Amazon has almost reached its tipping point, as the Amazon rainforest itself produces the majority of the precipitation it needs to survive. More droughts and associated wildfires will come, especially in the eastern and southern parts of the Brazilian Amazon, where the majority of deforestation has happened over the last three to four decades. It is more than urgent for Brazil and other Amazon countries to better plan the needed deforestation and for what purpose. The recent decision to pave the BR 319 from Porto Velho to Manaus in Brazil is disastrous, as it opens up the core of the Amazon forest which should be left intact. It is the best example of short-term thinking that will lead to long-term disaster for people in Brazil and beyond.”

See also: Wildfires in Brazil destroy huge areas of forests, causing billions in economic losses

“The 2024 wildfires in the Amazon, which destroyed 51,000 km² of mature rainforest, will have lasting impacts on climate resilience, livelihoods, and local development. From a climate perspective, the massive loss of trees weakens one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks, accelerating global warming. The fires emitted 1.15 gigatons of CO₂ — more than all the fossil fuel emissions from South America in 2023. The resulting hydrological imbalance also disrupts rainfall cycles across the region. For rural and indigenous communities, the fires destroy vital resources (medicinal plants, wildlife, water), making their way of life increasingly precarious. They also face serious health risks from air pollution. Economically, farmland and pastures are often devastated, deepening poverty and driving migration. Politically, these fires undermine national efforts to combat deforestation, reversing the environmental gains made by Brazil and Colombia. The growing frequency of such disasters threatens regional stability and jeopardizes the Sustainable Development Goals in the Amazon. Without urgent action, these cascading effects may push the forest past a tipping point, turning it into a savannah and releasing billions of tons of stored carbon. The fires of 2024 are not just a regional crisis, but a planetary warning sign.”

DevelopmentAid: What role can international development actors play to support both forest protection and sustainable economic alternatives in the Amazon?

“In the face of worsening climate crises and policy setbacks, international support for the Amazon must become more coherent, agile, and grounded in the realities of local territories. Development actors can play a strategic role by supporting inclusive forest-based economies with community leadership, strengthening participatory governance mechanisms, and enabling direct funding for local initiatives. It is equally crucial to foster spaces that bring together public institutions and civil society, enabling the exchange of knowledge, the alignment of capacities, and the political incidence needed to update national policies on integrated fire management and territorial governance. The Amazon Network for Integrated Fire Management Network demonstrates the power of knowledge exchange and mutual support between Amazonian countries, recognizing that wildfires are a cross-border challenge that requires coordinated solutions. International cooperation must not only aim to protect the forest, but also recognize, strengthen, and invest in those who have historically protected it.”

“The fate of the Amazon is largely in the hands of one country: Brazil, which owns 60% of the biome and is responsible for 70-80% of the total annual deforestation that oscillates around 2-3 million hectares. Brazil – and other Latin American countries – need to tackle the main drivers of deforestation (cattle ranching and soy cultivation) by changing cultural habits and offering incentives for alternative food crops that involve much less deforestation. Brazil also needs more support from the international community for a new proposal they launched at UNFCCC COP 28 in Dubai: The Tropical Forest Forever Fund. TFFF will be presented and launched at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil. It is, in essence, a huge global endowment fund that pays countries for the totality of the ecosystem services of their tropical forests per hectare and per year (and penalizes deforestation). It originates in the South and has support from Norway, Germany and large foundations who realize REDD+ funding and carbon credits are too complicated and time is running out. Large annual funding for all ecosystem services of the tropical forests at national scale with global transparency is needed avoiding complex REDD+ rules and carbon accounting or avoiding overly bureaucratic GCF or GEF regulations.”

“As wildfires intensify and environmental policies weaken, international development actors have a critical role to play. Firstly, they must boost climate financing to support forest conservation efforts, focusing on community-based and sustainable projects. Supporting monitoring systems like Global Forest Watch is also vital to improve early fire detection and ensure transparency. Economically, it is essential to promote viable alternatives: agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, ecotourism, and the development of non-timber forest product value chains. These options generate income while preserving ecosystems. At the same time, protecting Indigenous land rights must be a top priority, as these communities are often the most effective forest stewards. Donors can also tie their support to clear deforestation reduction targets and apply diplomatic pressure through trade agreements. Strengthening regional cooperation among Amazonian countries — alongside South-South partnerships with other tropical regions — can lead to a more unified and resilient forest management strategy. Ultimately, protecting the Amazon is not just an environmental issue, but a development imperative. It safeguards biodiversity, stabilizes the global climate, and supports millions of lives. International actors must act with urgency and coordination to ensure the Amazon remains a living forest, not a lost frontier.”

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The Amazon wildfires of 2024 are not just an environmental tragedy, but also a wake-up call for international development professionals. Working towards climate resilience and sustainable development requires coordinated international efforts, and strong expertise. By becoming a DevelopmentAid Individual Professional Member, experts can find the best places to use their knowledge and skill, by gaining access to real-time tenders and opportunities, a global network of organizations committed to sustainable development, the largest pool of job openings in the international development sector, and many more resourceful tools that can turn their insights into impact.grants