Forest fires in South America are causing levels of carbon emissions not seen in the atmosphere for more than 20 years, Copernicus, the EU Earth observation programme, has revealed.
"A high intensity of fires and emissions was observed in the northern Amazon forest, especially in Roraima (the Brazilian state bordering Guyana and Venezuela, ed.), which produced the highest carbon emissions recorded in the month of February since at least 2003, not only for Roraima, but for the whole of Brazil", we read in a statement.
According to the observatory, other countries in the region, such as Venezuela and Bolivia, are also recording high CO2 rates.
This month, estimated emissions for Brazil and Venezuela were 4.1 and 5.2 million tons of carbon, respectively.
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