Introduction
Brazil has increased spending on wildfires and hired a record number of federal firefighters in anticipation of extreme drought in the Amazon due to what could be one of the strongest El Niño events in more than a century.
The El Niño climate pattern, which emerges from unusually warm waters in the tropical Pacific, typically brings hotter, drier conditions to large parts of the Amazon. This raises the risk of severe drought and large wildfires.
Brazilian Government Preparations
With a 'strong' to 'very strong' El Niño predicted this year, the impacts on the world’s largest rainforest are also expected to be more extreme. “I’m not calm. I’m very alert,” said João Paulo Sotero, director of deforestation and fire policy at Brazil’s environment ministry, in a video interview.
“We are much better prepared [now] than we were in 2024 and 2025 … we are prepared for the worst scenario.” Sotero said that Brazil has increased funding for fire management in 2026 to 1.023 billion reais ($197 million), up 28% from 2025, or 24% after adjusting for inflation, rising after pro-deforestation president Jair Bolsonaro left office at the end of 2022.
The budget is now five times larger than it was in 2019. The environment ministry also hired 4,410 additional federal firefighters for the 2026 fire season. In 2024, 3,224 firefighters were hired, while 4,358 firefighters were hired in 2025.
Challenges and Perspectives
According to Sotero, his team has identified high-risk locations in the Amazon to focus efforts, including a new deforestation frontier. These efforts aim to mitigate the impacts of El Niño and protect the biodiversity of the region.
Furthermore, the Brazilian government has been working to strengthen policies for preventing and combating fires, including the creation of specialized firefighting units and the implementation of fire monitoring technologies.
Conclusion
The increase in budget and number of federal firefighters is an important step for Brazil in its preparation to face the challenges imposed by El Niño. However, it is essential that these efforts are accompanied by long-term policies to protect the Amazon and mitigate the impacts of global warming.
Source / Reference: Mongabay