Paraguay fires spark legislative debate on environmental emergency bill

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Paraguay is not being spared the impact caused by the recent heat wave in January, which has affected several of the region’s countries, such as Argentina and Uruguay.

According to the National Forestry Institute, in the last 12 hours there were 221 hot spots – places where the temperature is higher than the surrounding environment.

Senators and deputies will meet next week to debate an environmental emergency law to address the consequences of the crisis.

“The consequence of the massive deforestation of the last 30 years was the result of the advance of the agricultural frontier. Our ecosystem is much less resilient than in previous decades,” Paraguayan hydrologist and climate policy researcher Guillermo Achucarro said.

“At the slightest natural or human intervention, such as lightning or uncontrolled patch burning, the control of the fire is lost,” he added.

Forest fires in Paraguay have been controlled in recent days, but the risk continues due to the drought and high temperatures, above 40ºC. Although drought and heat waves are cyclical, climate change has led to a greater number, intensity and frequency of fires in recent years.

Achucarro pointed out that most of these fires occur in recently deforested areas, or where no environmental impact assessment or programmed patch burning management has been presented.

“The main people responsible for climate change in Paraguay are those who deforested: large landowners and corporations,” the researcher said.

Paraguay is one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of land distribution: 2% of the population owns 85% of the territory. “Consequently, structural reforms are needed for a productive model with a lower environmental impact,” Achucarro said.

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