If tropical rainforests are the lungs of the Earth, then 2024 was a year of respiratory failure. Fires, fueled by climate extremes and human recklessness, tore through vast stretches of forest at an unprecedented pace. According to satellite data from the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute, 6.7 million hectares of tropical primary rainforest were lost last year—nearly double the previous year’s total, and equivalent to 18 football fields every minute. The cause? For the first time on record, fire—not chainsaws or bulldozers—was the leading driver of tropical forest loss. This shift reflects a combustible convergence of deliberate land-clearing, soaring temperatures during a strong El Niño, and deepening drought. Nearly half of all tropical primary forest loss in 2024 was fire-related, a sharp increase from the 20% average of recent years. Nowhere was the devastation more apparent than in Latin America. Brazil, which holds over 60% of the Amazon rainforest, accounted for 42% of global tropical forest loss. Bolivia, with a fraction of Brazil’s forest cover, experienced a 200% surge in primary forest destruction, making it the second-largest contributor globally. Colombia, less affected by fires, saw forest clearing accelerate due to land grabs and illicit coca cultivation. The damage extended far beyond the Amazon. The Congo Basin—once relatively spared—saw record deforestation, driven by agricultural expansion, charcoal production, and weak governance. Mesoamerica experienced the highest proportional loss of any tropical region. The Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler. Globally, tree cover loss reached 30 million hectares in 2024,…This article was originally published on Mongabay