Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest have become so severe, they’ve created a plume of smoke that’s now visible from outer space.
That’s according to NASA’s Earth Observatory, which on Wednesday released satellite photos showing a dark cloud of smoke looming over Brazil.
The smoke is part of a record year for rainforest fires; officials say 74,155 have been documented as of Tuesday. That figure represents an 84 percent increase from last year.
While a number of conservation groups are blaming illegal logging and mining operations for the uptick in fires, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he believes they’ve been set by nonprofit groups involved in a conspiracy to “draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil” because their funding was recently cut.
