The Amazon is on fire.
If you watch the news or go online, you will see images of blazing fires destroying forests and arguing political leaders. You will hear the terms “Amazon,” “fires”, “Bolsonaro.” You will see people’s stories on Instagram or posts on Facebook with photos of the burning Amazon Rainforest. But what is actually going on? And why is it happening?
To put it simply, the Amazon is on fire, and until this point we have seen no mitigative action. This crisis has many different sides with conflicting views, making it a confusing story to follow. I struggle to follow everything myself, so as a disclaimer, I am not a professional on this issue in any sense. Rather, I am a concerned citizen of this planet who is disappointed with how this issue is being handled and is demanding action.
First of all, why is the Amazon so important?
The Amazon is the lungs of the earth. This is because:
- It produces 20 percent of the world’s oxygen.
- It spans 6.7 million kilometres, which is twice the size of India and 40 percent of South Africa, hosting about 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity.
- There are 350 ethnic groups that have inhabited the Amazon for generations.
Essentially, the Amazon Rainforest is fundamental for environmental and social sustainability. There is an intrinsic value that the rainforest itself holds which we cannot put a price on. It’s home to millions of species, some of which are only found in this rainforest. It produces more oxygen than any other forest on earth. It is a cultural landmark for millions of people.
2019: The year of fires in the Amazon
Since early 2019, an unusual number of forest fires have been reported in the Amazon. Keep in mind, some fires are a natural component in the forest lifecycle: in a process called succession, fires are often what “refresh” or “restart” an ecosystem.
When a forest reaches old age, a fire will wipe out the plant life. This releases its nutrients back into the soil for new plants to absorb and use for growth. This process releases carbon dioxide (aka a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere, but at moderate levels that plants can effectively re-absorb. This can introduce species into the environment with this new chemical composition, creating an entirely different ecosystem.
Some people use this fact to argue that the 2019 Amazon forest fires are naturally occurring and that we should not intervene. However, the intensity and rate of the fires occurring in the Amazon are higher than ever before, with evidence of human causation.
At this time, more than 74,000 fires have occurred in the Amazon in 2019, an 89 percent increase since last year. That’s a rate of 1.5 soccer fields of forest burning every day, releasing 228 mega tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This past month has been the worst part of it. In just one week, approximately 10,000 new fires have ignited. The Amazon is burning hard and fast.
For ancient ecosystems that are thousands of years old, this damage is irreversible. If we don’t find a way to stop this out of control burning immediately, the entire Amazon Rainforest will be changed forever.
Why is the Amazon on fire?
That’s a tricky one. See, no one can agree on the cause of these fires. Every time I read a story the idea changes. However, most believe the fires are a result of human activity. One explanation is the rapid clearing of land by farmers, which use burning as a quick way to clear land destined for agriculture. It is the dry season in Brazil, so burning is especially easy. Whatever the theory, scientists are certain that these fires are a result of human activity, and deforestation is the likely culprit.
What is being done to stop the fires?
Another confusing topic: What is being done to prevent and remediate destruction? Not much.
At first, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro denied that the fires deserve national addressal. He claims that fires occur all over the world, and that the situation in Brazil is a “usual” process. Fires are a part of the natural carbon cycle, but not to this extreme. Bolsonaro refuses to take any tangible action, aside from deploying thousands of troops this past weekend to help fight the fires. But this is not enough.
Why people are angry
This declaration is throwing the country and world into outrage. There are threats against the Brazilian economy. For instance, the French President Emmanuel Macron suggested using the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement to pressure Brazil into taking action. Considered the largest trade deal between the European Union and Latin America to date, this would have a serious impact on Brazil’s economy.
In addition, Brazil’s economy is heavily reliant on its exports like timber, cattle and soy for its wealth. Much of this comes from the Amazon (both legally and illegally), so these fires pose a threat the Amazon’s future ability to support production.
There is tremendous pressure from the people. As news surfaces, both celebrities and citizens are taking to social media and the streets to protest. Famous faces like Leonardo DiCaprio are leading the celebrity movement, while NGOs like Greenpeace are using the Internet to share their message. Other countries are calling this not just a national emergency, but an international one. The impacts on the Amazon’s destruction will be felt by the entire planet.
With all this pressure, you’d think that Bolsonaro would take action.
But this still is not the case.
Brazil is losing support. The G7 met on August 26 in France for their annual Summit. The group, which is made of the world’s seven largest countries including Canada and the United States, will pledge $20 million to aid Brazil in battling the flames. The G7 believes international collaboration is necessary to tackle this massive issue, and the pledge is a way of creating international collaboration. On August 27, Brazil rejected the pledge, stating that the aid could be beneficial elsewhere and that international collaboration is an “attack on the country’s sovereignty.” They don’t want to become a colony again.
This perspective is understandable, but the disappearing Amazon poses a threat to the nation’s economic and social sovereignty. On top of this, millions of euros in funding are being cut from Amazon protection programs by countries like Germany and Norway due to Brazil’s lacking mitigation efforts.
So what is going to happen?
Action is at a stand-still with all of these disagreements taking place. The more time we waste, the less chance there will be to stop these fires and save the Amazon. The Amazon Rainforest is essential to the survival of the planet, all of its species, and the reduction of global warming. The Amazon is on fire, and we must save it.
How you can help.
While we can’t force Brazil to take any action, we can put pressure on the nation and other leaders to instigate change. You can play a role in this action in a variety of ways.
- Share on social media. There are so many movements taking place on social media right now, and it is the fastest way to get information out to the public.
- Attend a protest. These occur all over the world. Meet local activists and be a part of a larger voice.
- Write to your leaders. Demand local change, protest and pressure.
- Read the (reliable) news. This is currently our primary source of information on the Amazon fire crisis and some questionable claims and pictures have been made.
- Invest your money in the right places. Do not purchase Amazonian soy, wood and other deforestation-promoting products. Research your product before you buy it . The less we invest in these destructive products, the more pressure Brazil feels to make change.
- Share with friends and family. The more people who know, the greater the pressure we can create.
Final thoughts
The fact that this is occurring is pretty scary. It demonstrates how uncoordinated our governments are, and how poorly versed they are at recognizing an environmental emergency. The environment is not something we can overlook. When emergencies like these fires occur, action cannot wait to protect our nation’s image. There will not be an image left to protect if we lose our crucial ecosystems.
Now you know why the Amazon is on fire. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing crisis; things may have changed by the time you read this. I encourage you to follow the story, along with taking action in your own life to demand change.
As always, thank you for reading, and until next time.