You’ve probably seen the headlines before. Images of orange horizons and charred monkeys usually flood social media every August, only to vanish once the rainy season hits. But right now, in early 2026, the question of is the amazon rainforest still on fire isn't just about a season. It’s about a fundamental shift in how the forest actually lives—and dies.
Honestly, the short answer is a bit of a "yes and no" situation.
If you mean "is there a massive wall of flame visible from space today?" then the answer depends heavily on which week you ask. But if you're asking if the burning has stopped? Not even close. We just finished 2025, a year that was supposed to be a "win" for the environment because official deforestation rates in Brazil actually dropped by about 11%. Sounds great, right? But here is the kicker: while people are cutting down fewer trees with chainsaws, the forest is burning more than ever.
Why the Amazon is burning differently now
It used to be simple. A farmer would clear a patch of land, let the wood dry, and light a match. These were "deforestation fires." But lately, something much scarier is happening. The forest is so dry from back-to-back "hot droughts" that the fires are starting to move on their own.
Last year, in 2025, researchers at the EU’s Science Hub noted that fire-driven degradation is becoming the dominant threat. In the past, the Amazon was basically fireproof because it was so humid. You couldn't start a wildfire even if you tried. Now, the "hypertropical" climate—a term Jeff Chambers from UC Berkeley has been using—is turning the interior of the forest into tinder.
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- 2024 was a disaster: Over 44 million acres burned in the Brazilian Amazon alone.
- 2025 showed a dip: Burned areas detected by the DETER system fell by about 45% compared to the 2024 horror show, but that's a bit like saying a fever dropped from 105 to 103. It's still a crisis.
- The "Undead" Forest: More than half of the deforestation detected in mid-2025 happened in areas that had already been weakened by fire.
Is the amazon rainforest still on fire: What's happening on the ground?
If you were to fly over the state of Mato Grosso or the northern reaches of Roraima today, you wouldn't see a single giant fire. You'd see thousands of small ones. In January 2026, we are seeing a strange start to the year. Usually, this is the wet season, a time for the forest to breathe. But the rainy seasons have been late and weak.
In Bolivia, the situation is actually worse than in Brazil. The new administration under Rodrigo Paz Pereira basically nuked their Ministry of Environment, and illegal mining and agricultural burns are tearing through the Chiquitania region. While Brazil is trying to flex its muscles ahead of the global spotlight, Bolivia's forests are being treated like a free-for-all.
It's also about the "Soy Moratorium." This was a huge deal for years—a voluntary agreement where big traders wouldn't buy soy grown on newly deforested land. Well, as of January 2026, that shield is cracking. Industry groups are threatening to pull out because of new state laws in Mato Grosso. If that falls apart, the "is the amazon rainforest still on fire" question is going to have a much more violent answer by this summer.
The tipping point isn't a myth
Scientists like Carlos Nobre have been warning about a "tipping point" for decades. They used to say if we lose 20-25% of the forest, the whole thing turns into a dry savannah. We’re hovering around 18% right now.
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But fire is a cheat code for that tipping point.
When a forest burns, it doesn't just lose trees. It loses its ability to make its own rain. The Amazon is basically a giant sweat machine; the trees "exhale" moisture that creates clouds. When you replace trees with charred stumps, the rain stops. When the rain stops, the remaining trees die. When those trees die, they become fuel for the next fire.
It’s a loop. And honestly, it’s a loop we haven't figured out how to break yet.
What most people get wrong about the smoke
When you hear about the Amazon being on fire, you probably think of the "lungs of the world" being destroyed. Scientists actually hate that term. Lungs take in oxygen; the Amazon is more like a giant air conditioner and a carbon vault.
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In 2024 and 2025, for the first time, carbon emissions from fires actually surpassed emissions from deforestation. That's a massive shift. It means even if we stop every single person with a chainsaw tomorrow, the forest might still keep releasing carbon because it's literally smoldering from the inside out.
What can actually be done?
It feels overwhelming, but there are specific levers being pulled right now.
- The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF): This is a $125 billion fund being pushed by Brazil. The idea is simple: pay countries to keep their forests standing. Not just "carbon credits" which are kinda messy and often fake, but actual cash for conservation.
- The Soy Moratorium defense: Pressure is mounting on global brands (the ones who buy the soy for their chicken and beef) to demand that the moratorium stays in place. If the traders pull out, the consumers have to be the ones to say "no."
- Indigenous Sovereignty: Data shows that the best-protected parts of the Amazon are the ones managed by Indigenous communities. Places like the Xingu territory are literal green islands surrounded by brown, burned soy fields. Supporting their land rights is the most effective "firewall" we have.
Actionable steps you can take
You aren't going to go to Pará with a bucket of water. But the "is the amazon rainforest still on fire" issue is driven by global markets.
- Check your supply chain: Use tools like Trase.earth to see if the companies you buy from are linked to deforestation in the Amazon or the Cerrado.
- Support the Moratorium: Look for groups like Greenpeace or Amazon Watch that are currently lobbying to keep the Soy Moratorium alive. This is the biggest "fire prevention" fight of 2026.
- Demand Transparency: If you invest in stocks or have a pension, ask if those funds are backing the infrastructure projects (like the BR-319 highway) that are cutting deep into the forest's heart and bringing fire with them.
The Amazon isn't "gone." It's just very, very fragile. Whether it stays on fire this year depends less on the weather and more on whether we decide that a standing forest is worth more than a cheap steak.