Explainer-Causes and consequences of Amazon fires and deforestation

FILE PHOTO: Smoke from a fire rises into the air as trees burn amongst vegetation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, in Apui, Amazonas state, Brazil, September 5, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

(Reuters) - Brazil vowed last year to halt deforestation by 2030, yet the number of fires burning in the country's Amazon rainforest hit a 15-year high in June. Burning season began last month and the rate of forest clearing remains high.

Things could worsen this month, as Brazil's fires traditionally peak in August and September. Here are some factors driving destruction of the world's largest rainforest.