Authorities across Brazil have implemented emergency measures after a thick blanket of smoke settled over major cities, including São Paulo and the capital Brasília, closing schools, grounding flights and triggering air quality alerts. The Amazon and the Pantanal wetlands — the world’s largest tropical wetland — have reported a record-breaking wildfire season amid Brazil’s severe drought and extreme heat.

In related news, newly published data shows Canada’s devastating 2023 wildfires produced more carbon emissions than the burning of fossil fuels in seven out of the 10 worst polluting countries. The unprecedented wildfires ranked as the fourth-largest carbon emitter in 2023, behind China, the U.S. and India.