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Snapshot 6:Wed, Jul 22, 2026 12:54:50 PM GMT last edited by Kevin

Amazon Rainforest Size Burned Declines in 2025

Brazil Amazon Burns Hit Record Low in 2025

Brazil Amazon Burns Hit Record Low in 2025
Above: This aerial view shows a field fire in Sao Felix do Xingu, Para state, Brazil on June 21, 2025. Image credit: Ivan Pisarenko/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin


Brazil's Amazon hit a record low for burned area in 2025, with just 3.1 million hectares scorched compared to 15.8 million in 2024 — the smallest footprint since records began in 1985. President Lula's commitment to zero deforestation is clearly bearing fruit, with satellite data confirming a 38% drop in deforested land. Political will works, and Brazil is proving that protecting the Amazon is a choice, not a fantasy.

Celebrating lower burn numbers while approving new oil drilling at the Amazon's mouth is a contradiction that can't be ignored. IBAMA granted Petrobras a license to explore the Foz do Amazonas Basin — one of the planet's most biodiverse regions — just weeks before COP30, and deforestation is still soaring even where fires declined. A green reputation built on selective data while expanding fossil fuel frontiers is not climate leadership.


The Controversies



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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.4.1

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.4.1