Amazon continues to burn in 2020 despite promises to save it

A man rides a motorbike pulling a cart along a paved dirt road in an area scorched by fires near Labrea, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. According to the National Institute for Space Research, fires in the Brazilian Amazon increased 28% in July from a year ago. Environmentalists have expressed concern at the rise because August traditionally marks the beginning of the fire season in the region.(AP Photo/Edmar Barros)

By The Associated Press

Published: Aug. 19, 2020 at 7:21 AM EDT

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NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil (AP) — A year ago this month, the forest around the town of Novo Progresso erupted into flames.

They were the first major blazes in the Brazilian Amazon’s dry season that ultimately saw more than 100,000 fires and spurred global outrage against the government’s inability or unwillingness to protect the rainforest.

This year, President Jair Bolsonaro pledged to control the burning. He imposed a four-month ban on most fires and sent in the army.

But this week the smoke is again thick around Novo Progresso.

This year’s burning season could determine whether Bolsonaro, an avid supporter of bringing more farming and ranching to the Amazon, is willing and able to halt the fires.