Amazon Rainforest Fires
The Amazon Rainforest continues to burn as more than 80,000 fires have been detected by Brazil in the first eight months of 2019.
This is the highest number of fires Brazil has seen since 2010, which reached over 125,000 fires. A quote from CNN reported, “The number of fires in Brazil this year is the highest on record since 2013 and is up by 85% from last year alone”. Many areas of Brazil have reached up to over 100% increase of fires.
Causes of the fires
Some causes of these fires can be narrowed down to Brazil’s dry season and fires being used to clear out areas for farming purposes. July and August of this year have been the driest for brazil.
Along with dry weather, fire is being used to clear sections of the Amazon for farmland. Christian Poirier from Amazon Watch says, “the vast majority of the fires can be attributed to humans”.
Consequences of the fires
Due to the amount of fires, there has been a carbon monoxide bloom in nearby areas of the Amazon rainforest. This amount of carbon monoxide directly contributes to the lack of rainfall in the Amazon.
Alongside lower amounts of rainfall, climate change is also being affected. BBC reported, “The carbon emission could contribute to global warming, but the longer term global impact is more difficult to pin down”.
Who is taking action?
President Bolsonaro has reached out to the armed forces to help this situation. Many believe Bolsonaro isn’t doing enough to stop the fires in Brazil.
France tried to step in to help before being shut down by Bolsonaro. BBC reports, “France’s President Emmanuel Macron even threatened to scrap a huge trade deal between the European Union and South America as a result”.
Articles Used:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49450925