Forest fires in the Amazon blacken the sun in São Paulo

IN THE MIDDLE of the afternoon on August 19th South America’s largest city went dark. Under a thick, black cloud at 3pm, the lights flickered on in São Paulo’s skyscrapers; on the motorways brake lights started to glow in the city’s bumper-to-bumper traffic, and many Paulistanos were worried. Social-media users posted pictures of the gloom, juxtaposing the dystopian afternoon sky with fictional apocalyptic places such as Gotham City from “Batman”, Mordor from “Lord of the Rings” and “the upside down” from “Stranger Things”.

Meteorologists scrambled to explain what was going on. But the most likely explanation, most accept, is that fires burning far away in the rainforest are to blame. Climatempo, a popular private meteorology website, reported that a cold front brought low-lying clouds which then combined with smoke to form the thick black smog. According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), forest fires are more common than ever. The number detected so far this year is 84% higher than in the same period last year. Just over half of the fires are in the Amazon.

During the Amazon’s dry season, it is common for farmers to set fires illegally to clear land. Brazil’s populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, has encouraged them by weakening the agencies that enforce environmental regulations. He holds the view...

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