The Amazon burns, Bolsonaro feels the heat

Four times the number of forest fires have burned so far this year in the Amazon compared to the whole of 2018, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research says. Ranchers and loggers are responsible for setting most of them as part of efforts to clear land for cattle. Environmental groups say land deforestation has increased dramatically since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January.

Satellite images show the true scale of the deforestation over large swathes of difficult-to-reach tropical rainforest. Bolsonaro is facing intense international pressure to tackle the fires. The Brazilian president has blamed indigenous tribes, small-scale farmers and even global NGOs — without evidence. On Friday, he said he was considering deploying the army to help put out the fires.

Brazil's dry season is helping the blazes spread more quickly. In the country's Amazonas state, heat from forest fires has been above average every day throughout August. To step up the pressure on Brazil, Norway and Germany have halted donations to Brazil’s Amazon support fund. France has even mooted the idea of blocking an EU trade deal with South American nations.

Brazil isn't the only country involved in deforestation. Peru, with the second-largest expanse of Amazonian forest, is also seeing a growing problem. Illegal gold miners have been accused of causing irreversible environmental damage to more than 110 square kilometers (42 square miles) of forest and river basins through the liberal use of fertilizers.

Brazil's other neighbors Bolivia and Paraguay have also struggled to contain forest fires. About 7,500 square kilometers (2,900 square miles) of land has been affected in Bolivia. The country has even deployed a Boeing 747-400 SuperTanker carrying 76,000 liters (20,000 gallons) of retardant, a substance used to stop fires.

As well as political pressure, the sheer scale of the wildfires has sparked public protests against Brazilian interests around the world, including the country's embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Amazon is billed as the "the lungs of the planet," as the rainforest produces about a fifth of the total oxgyen needed for life on earth.