A number of fires in the Amazon Rainforest are burning ferociously. According to the BBC, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) states that this year there has been the highest number of fires recorded in the Amazon since documenting of fires began in 2013.
The devastation caused from the massive inferno is of major global concern. The Amazon, the lungs of the planet, are paramount to slowing down global warming.
While there is no concrete evidence of who or what started the fires, human intervention seems the most probably cause. According to CNN, environmental organisations believe cattle farmers and loggers are to most likely to blame for the wildfires.
These groups want to clear the land in order to conduct business operations. Farmers and ranchers are known to use fire to clear land. Christian Poirier, the program director of non-profit organization Amazon Watch said to CNN that they are likely behind the record-breaking number of fires burning in the Amazon currently.
Quartz reports that cattle ranching is responsible for 80% of the Amazon Rainforest’s ongoing deforestation.
The Amazon forest produces about 20% of the world’s oxygen.
Many people are calling for accountability from the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who is known for his anti-global warming/ climate change denial rhetoric.
Bolsonaro cut the budget of the ministry’s environmental protection agency, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) by 24%.
Speaking to CNN, Poirier said, “the Amazon is incredibly important for our future, for our ability to stave off the worst of climate change. This isn’t hyperbole. We’re looking at untold destruction — not just of the Amazon but for our entire planet.”
How to help
If you have been looking for a way to help the situation, there are six charity organisations that have worked tirelessly for years to help save the Amazon rainforest.
According to Business Insider, each of the charities have received a minimum three out of four stars from Charity Navigator, a NPO that rates charities on their accountability and financial management. The charities are:
Amazon Conservation Association
A record level of fires in Brazil’s Amazon region has been linked to an increase in deforestation, inspiring a #prayforamazonia social media campaign to bring awareness to the blazes destroying the rainforest. https://t.co/3Eapr9f1s1 pic.twitter.com/RmnT19jV4d
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 22, 2019
Image source: Pixabay
