While it is common for wildfires to occur in Brazil, during the dry season, this year the things totally got out of control. There are already three weeks since the Amazon rainforest in in flames and the effect might be more devastating than anybody ever thought.
Seen even from the space, the current situation is dramatic. According to the National Institute for Space Research(INPE), the satellite data revealed it has been an 83 percent increase in wildfires this year, comparing to 2018. There have been registered around 72,000 fires since January 2019, according to INPE.
20% of the oxygen in your lungs right now was produced by the Amazon rainforest.
It’s been on fire for 3 weeks.pic.twitter.com/b2yti4a4FS
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) August 22, 2019
The Amazon was often called the Earth’s lungs as its forest produce around 20% of the oxygen in our planet’s atmosphere, CNN reports. More than that, the rainforest is considered vital in slowing global warming and is also home to uncountable species of fauna and flora.
According to the Express News, the fires were actually ‘deliberately started in efforts to illegally deforest land for cattle ranching, known as the largest driver of deforestation in every Amazon country, accounting for 80 percent of current deforestation rates.’
Brazil’s president recently opened the rainforest to ranching, farming and mining, which has contributed to a wave of deadly fires in the Amazon. Now, indigenous populations and the environment are potentially at risk.
Watch “Go There” on Facebook: https://t.co/nz7QMbIbdc pic.twitter.com/6QSCv28bF7
— CNN (@CNN) August 22, 2019
Regardless the source of the fire, its effects are absolutely devastating. And the images bellow speak for themselves:
Blame humans for starting the Amazon fires, environmentalists say https://t.co/UEqEeTL4WG pic.twitter.com/5jxOU6gYRq
— CNN (@CNN) August 22, 2019
