As many people know, the Great Amazon Rainforest, which has existed for around fifty-five million years, is burning down. About seventy-six thousand hungry flames are spreading through the forest, taking every bit of wildlife that crosses in its path. The number of flames are increasing at a higher rate in 2019 compared to 2010 and are burning across the sections of the Amazon in Brazil.

“Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) spotted more than 9,500 new forest fires in Brazil since August 15 alone, while atmospheric monitoring agencies have tracked smoke from the Amazon region drifting thousands of kilometres across the Latin American giant to the Atlantic coast and Sao Paulo”

What is causing them? Forest fires are usually a natural occurrence but further research suspects that there is more to it. Some explanations say that farmers and loggers are to blame for burning the forest to clear land for farming or for the collection of wood for building.

Activists have also been blaming Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, “saying his policies have only threatened the forest more” Bolsonaro argues that the data collected regarding the increase of forest fires isn’t accurate and that the government is working to control the fires; activists are skeptical about these assertions.

Member of the Climate Observatory, Carlos Rittl, says that “‘over the past six months, Bolsonaro and his environment minister have been devoting themselves to the dismantling of the Brazilian environment governance and neutralizing regulatory bodies’”.

Research agency INPE recently revealed data that shows that there is an eighty-eight percent increase in deforestation in June compared to June 2018. The president responds saying that these are lies “that hinder trade talks for Brazil.” Many people refer to the rainforest as the lungs of the earth. But if the fires keep up, we might not have our lungs anymore; then it will just be a decline from there. The Amazon is known for bringing 70% of rain to its surrounding region and without it there could be a sharp reduction of rain that can lead to drought.

As the fires eat up the Amazon, the trees burn down which means carbon dioxide emissions will increase rapidly. As more greenhouse gasses are emitted, air quality declines and global temperatures rise.

As many people know, the Amazon is home to numerous different species of plants and animals, such as the hanging lobster claw and the jaguar. With the rainforest gone, we will be destroying an entire ecosystem: an ecosystem that helped humans too. There are various items sourced from the Amazon that are used in medicine such as snake venom, molds, and a shrub called periwinkle.

The Amazon rainforest has given a lot to help the human race stay strong like multiple medicines coming from plants such as the lapacho which is a plant to treat cancer. It’s about time we do the same. Spread the awareness. Donate money. Sign petitions. Anything to help the great ecosystem live.

Donation links:

https://www.ran.org/

https://www.rainforesttrust.org/

https://www.amazonconservation.org/

https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

https://rainforestfoundation.org