How Did The Fire Start?
Amazon is generally Humid and wet most time of the year, but July-August is the time when the dry season starts. This is the time when Forest is cleared for “activity. Fire is often used to clear out the land for farming or ranching. For that reason, the vast majority of fires can be connected to human beings.
Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has said publicly that he thinks the fires were set by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in retaliation to funding cuts. Bolsonaro didn’t provide any evidence to his claims and then later said he never accused any groups, according to the BBC.
Why Should We Worry?
Give me a reason why you should not worry. Amazon is responsible for the world’s 20% oxygen emissions and that will deplete if the forest is gone. Amazon is also home to 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. The Amazon is referred to as the “lungs of the planet” and plays a major role in regulating the climate. The world would drastically change if the rainforest were to disappear, with impacts on everything from farms to drinking water.
With burning forests, the carbon emitted to the atmosphere increases and hence, creating more pollution. If the forests are gone, we will perish in no time. Fires release pollutants including particulate matter & toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and non-methane organic compounds into the atmosphere.
Is It Still Burning?
There were reports of scattered rainfall and thunderstorms in Amazon. But that wasn’t enough to put out the fire. Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, contracted a Boeing 747 “Supertanker” on Wednesday to help extinguish the fires. The Supertanker is capable of flying with 115,000 liters (over 30,000 gallons) and is supposed to be operational on Friday.
Here is what the BBC tweeted:
“The Amazon region is burning!”
The largest rainforest in the world, vital in the fight against global warming, home to one million indigenous people and millions of plants and animals
This year it has seen “a record number of fires” (Inpe) THREAD⬇️https://t.co/nJNua4pLqn pic.twitter.com/NVvBsKO5Zu
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 22, 2019
Let us all pledge to plant at least one tree in our garden, or at least plant potted plants as much as we can on our balconies and terraces. It is high time we think about reducing everything. Reducing the use of motor vehicles, ACs, plastics, and non-biodegradable goods. Switch to electric vehicles, and use coolers instead of AC, use jute and paper bags.
Small steps can help save the environment. Otherwise, the earth will perish soon.