THE KINEMATICS OF FLAMES! A FILMIC READING OF TERRA EM CINZAS AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS IN BRAZIL: STRATEGIES, DEFORESTATION REDUCTION AND CHALLENGES IN COMBATING CRIMINAL FIRES

Abstract

The article analyzes the Brazilian environmental crisis, focusing on the criminal fires of 2024, through a filmic reading of the documentary "Terra em Cinzas: O Brasil em Chamas em 2024". The production is examined as a sensory and critical artifact that, through devastating imagery, moving testimonies, and political analysis, denounces the magnitude of the destruction, the failures in public policies, and the connection between the fires and economic interests, such as illegal agribusiness and land grabbing.Simultaneously, the text presents contradictory data: while there is a reduction in deforestation in 2025 (11.08% in the Amazon), there is an alarming escalation of criminal fires in 2024, exemplified by a 189% increase in fire hotspots in Rondônia. This duality reveals a tactical shift in degradation, where fire becomes a complementary vector of destruction.The state response, primarily through the Federal Police, involves investigations with advanced technology (satellites) and a coordinated measure by the states of the Legal Amazon: the suspension of authorizations for controlled burning. However, the article points out that purely repressive and regulatory actions are insufficient, facing challenges such as a lack of resources, impunity, and judicial delays.As a structural solution, it advocates for critical and interdisciplinary environmental education as a fundamental pillar. The conclusion is that overcoming the crisis requires an integrated approach, combining qualified repression, sustainable economic transition policies, and a broad project of societal awareness—a call to action that the documentary itself urgently makes.