Fires in Patagonia: A Climate Emergency and an Ecocide Foretold

A natural paradise—or a land condemned to burn?

Patagonia is experiencing one of the most devastating summers in its recent history. While wildfires have become increasingly common in January over the past few years, nothing compares to the scale of the blaze that began on January 5, 2026. Not for decades has the region witnessed destruction of this magnitude. Flames spread uncontrollably across thousands of hectares, unleashing what Greenpeace has openly called an ecocide.

The numbers had already warned us. In January 2025, the burned area in Argentina quadrupled compared to the previous year. Yet early 2026 proved even worse. In the months leading up to the austral summer, extreme drought completely disrupted natural patterns: snow failed to fall in areas where it was once guaranteed, and wildfires ignited in the middle of winter.

Alan Schwer, a mountain guide born in Bariloche and an active member of volunteer fire-prevention brigades, documented the ferocity of the fires through his social media account (@patagonia.film), sharing images that leave no room for denial.

“We are going through a massive and very rapid ecosystem shift. The forest cannot tolerate it. If this continues, in 20 or 30 years this entire area will be completely burned,” he warned in an interview with National Geographic.

Meanwhile, environmental organizations are denouncing a withdrawal of the State. Argentina’s 2026 national budget shows a real 69% cut (compared to 2023) in funding allocated to environmental disaster response. Less prevention. Less capacity to respond. More fire. This tragedy is not only climatic—it is deeply political.

Sources: National Geographic, Greenpeace, @patagonia.film