Brazil faces one of the worst droughts in its history, with 59% of the country under water stress [1]. This severe drought began to intensify earlier this year when I published my first article about the Caatinga.

Along with drought, it came fire. Since January, more than 180,000 fires have been recorded [2]. The most affected regions include the Amazon, the Cerrado, and the Pantanal. This is no coincidence, as these country areas are home to major agribusiness production. However, transitional forest zones in other states are also burning.

On September 13, I landed in Guarulhos after a two-day exhausting trip. The air in São Paulo has never been good, but that day it was even worse. Not even a car’s air conditioning could hide the smell of smoke. When I finally arrived at my parents’ house in the countryside of São Paulo, I was completely drained. All I wanted was a good shower and a fresh bed. But when I came in, I was greeted with such a strong smell of burning that, for a moment, I thought I had walked into the wrong house, a stranger’s home filled with smokers.

The next morning, the news reported that some areas could have been at risk of dark rain — precipitation transporting soot particles. In my mind, several questions echoed: “What risks does this pose? Do we need to take any precautions?”

I asked my mother, and she knew nothing. I decided to step outside, and when I looked up, the sky was grey and the sun looked like a car’s headlight in the fog. Blue patches were the best way to describe the sky that morning.

In the following days, my throat felt scratchy and I had occasional aches. I thought it was a cold, but I just needed to drink more water. And I, who have always struggled to meet the one-liter-per-day goal, started drinking two.

But what I felt is nothing compared to prolonged exposure to smoke causes. Smoke from forest fires contains a mixture of fine particles and toxic gases like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, which penetrate deep into the lungs. Moreover, this air pollution worsens respiratory diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis, and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

One day, I decided to go out to walk the dog, before 8 a.m., to make sure the asphalt did not burn his paws. I had forgotten the beauty of Brazil’s native plants. The diversity is simply incredible. I started collecting flowers, pods, and seeds that had fallen along the path. I recalled names and major families of Brazilian flora. At a certain moment, as I was filled with peace, I took a deep breath and realized that my sense of smell had been numbed and that Brazil had lost its scent.

At the end of that afternoon, a brief rain watered the red soil of Pirassununga. I went to bed happy, thinking that the weather would be better in the morning and that I could see the blue sky and smell the scents of my homeland. I woke up excited, opened the windows, and was hit by more and more smoke.

Fig 1: The Brazilian way of dealing with the lack of humidity in the air in my house, we hung up wet towels on the windows. Author, Sept 30, 2024.

The situation is truly alarming and desperate, especially for those who are less aware of the subtleties that affect our psychological and physical well-being. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Brazilians carry hope in their DNA, never give up, and know how to live one day at a time with a smile on their face and lots of faith. But what we need here is educational content during commercial hours on free TV that teaches Brazilians about the consequences of deforestation. In my view, we also need incentives and compensation for preservation practices that could encourage the population—often ignorant and complicit in the situation—to act differently. But it’s regional election season, and (almost) all we see are campaigns and promises where the environment is left out of the agenda.

If you’ve made it this far in this article, whether you’re Brazilian or not, share it so that these ideas can spread.

Share other content about Brazil on fire on social media and tell us about your country’s efforts in combating forest fires. We Brazilians are intelligent, innovative, and open to exchange.

Send your suggestions and demand updates from our responsible agencies and leaders: @lulaoficial, @marinasilvaoficial, @ibamagov, @icmbio, @censipam. The world belongs to everyone, the climate is everyone’s responsibility, and together we are stronger.

Related articles:

Cover- and preview image: Bushfire in the forest. Royalty-free picture by Sippakorn on Pixabay.