Amazon Rainforest Burning Down At Record Rate

The Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, is seeing a record number of blazes this year, and it’s so startling, the images can even be seen from space.

According to satellite data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), close to 74,000 fires were detected in the period between January and August – marking a staggering 84% increase from the same period last year.  

Images have been shared thousands of times on news portals and social media platforms, with the hashtag #PrayForAmazonia. Some users posted pictures of the São Paulo skies, which turned grey – not because of an imminent thunderstorm, but because of the smoke from the fires.

INPE recorded over 9500 new fires, all concentrated around the Amazonian basin.

What’s Causing The Fires

Wildfires often occur in the Amazon during the dry season (which typically runs from July to October). Wetter weather during the rest of the year reduces the risk of fires.

_{Image courtesy Reuters}

However, these fires are, more often than not, human-made phenomena. Forests are deliberately cleared to make land available for cattle ranching. And many are pointing fingers at Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro  who, on taking office in January, pledged to develop the region for farming, timber and mining. His environmental policies have been widely criticised, earning him the moniker “Captain Chainsaw.”

Why Everyone Should Be Worried

The Amazon rainforest functions as the lungs our planet so desperately needs, keeping CO2 levels in check and helping slow down the pace of global warming. The forest produces 20% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. It’s also home to 3 million species of plants and wildlife and one million indigenous people.

Image courtesy Reuters

A question we have to ask ourselves is this – with so much land being cleared for livestock farming, isn’t it time we really woke up to the real problem – the one that’s on our plates? A global appetite for meat is what is pushing farmers (and in this case, even the Brazilian premiere) to clear land rapidly. Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related nitrous oxide emissions. By switching to a plant-based diet, individuals are automatically helping cut down on those deadly gases.

Climate change and a threat to world supply are real, tangible problems that we need to address now – the latest report from the United Nations highlights just how grave the situation is. Further proof that we need to make the change sooner than later.

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