Visualising black carbon in Brazil – new Climate Visuals photos

Black carbon is one of the world’s super pollutants, alongside methane and tropospheric ozone, that contribute to half of today’s climatic warming. As COP30 begins in Belém, these photographs bring into sharp focus black carbon’s effects, alongside some of its causes, in Brazil.  

The new photographs, taken over the last six months by Brazilian photographer Victor Moriyama, show devastating fires in the Amazon, some intentionally set to clear space for cattle grazing, community attempts to manage wildfires, waste burning, deforestation and logging, and industrial fuel burning. All of which cause black carbon to be released into the air through incomplete combustion. 

Particles in the air absorb the sun’s warmth, heating the climate and disrupting local weather patterns. Black carbon smothers the ecosystems that are vital to human and planetary life, and has devastating impacts on communities who are breathing toxic air. It enters bloodstreams and leads to diseases like asthma, strokes, heart attacks, cancer and dementia, as well as low birth weight, stillbirths and miscarriages.

Rising climatic temperatures in turn increase the likelihood of wildfires and more emissions, creating a vicious feedback loop. Action on black carbon and other super pollutants can be an ‘emergency brake’ to the climate emergency, with the potential to cut near-term temperatures four times faster than action on carbon dioxide alone. Reducing these dangerous and damaging emissions also delivers a unique triple win: tackling climate change, radically improving health globally and adding trillions to the economy.

This new collection includes over 60 photographs which are available to download now from the Climate Visuals library, free for non-profit, editorial and educational use. 

These images are the first part of a wider project highlighting the global issue of black carbon. Photographers are currently at work in Kenya, Nepal and Nigeria documenting the issue in those locations. Their images will also be available through Climate Visuals in early 2026.