Some of the Most Devastating Photos from the Amazon Rainforest Fires

People

August 22, 2019 at 3:49 PM

Fires have been raging at a record rate in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for weeks, threatening wildlife and Earth’s oxygen in a disaster that activists say could drive further climate change. There have been 72,843 fires in Brazil this year (with more than half in its Amazon region), and satellite images have spotted 9,507 new forest fires in the county — mostly in the Amazon basin — since Aug. 15, according <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/21/americas/amazon-rainforest-fire-intl-hnk-trnd/index.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:to CNN;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">to CNN</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-environment-wildfires/amazon-burning-brazil-reports-record-forest-fires-idUSKCN1VA1UK" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Reuters;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Reuters</a>, both citing Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

The Amazon, known as “the planet’s lungs,” produces 20 percent of Earth’s oxygen and is a key factor in combating climate change, CNN notes. The impact of the smoke can be felt in São Paulo, even though it’s more than 1,700 miles away from the rainforest, CNN reported.

Humans Started Record-Breaking Fires in the Amazon Rainforest, According to Environmentalists

The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical forest, and the fires this year represent an 83 percent increase over the same period of 2018, Reuters reported. Organizers <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/amazon_threats/climate_change_amazon/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:with the World Wildlife Fund;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">with the World Wildlife Fund</a> have said that if the Amazon reaches “a point of no return,” it could begin emitting carbon, which is “the major driver for global climate change.”

Amazon Rainforest Fires Threaten Climate Change Efforts — What's at Stake for the Planet

“The vast majority of these fires are human-lit,” Christian Poirier, the program director of non-profit organization <a href="https://amazonwatch.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Amazon Watch;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Amazon Watch</a>, told the outlet, pointing out that the humid rainforest doesn’t catch fire easily. “This year’s fires fit into an established seasonal agricultural pattern,” added CNN meteorologist Haley Brink. “It’s the best time to burn because the vegetation is dry. [Farmers] wait for the dry season and they start burning and clearing the areas so that their cattle can graze. And that’s what we’re suspecting is going on down there.”

Activists have also blamed <a href="https://people.com/politics/far-right-jair-bolsonaro-wins-brazil-presidency/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro</a> for the devastation, noting that the surge of fires began when he took office in January, according to Reuters. Bolsonaro, who famously fired INPE leader Ricardo Galvão after Galvão spoke out about high deforestation rates, has vowed to explore the Amazon’s economic potential and condemned deforestation warnings that could interfere with trade negotiations. According to many <a href="https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2019/08/15/estimulados-por-bolsonaro-fazendeiros-promovem-dia-do-fogo-na-amazonia/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:local media reports;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">local media reports</a>, last week numerous farmers organized a “fire day,” which was inspired by Bolsonaro’s words, Amazon Watch said in a statement, according to CNN. Fires are “just the most visible symptom” of his policies, the Observatorio do Clima (Climate Observatory) <a href="http://www.observatoriodoclima.eco.br/recorde-de-queimadas-reflete-irresponsabilidade-de-bolsonaro/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:said in a statement;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">said in a statement</a>, the outlet reported.

“Just a little alert to the world: the sky randomly turned dark today in São Paulo, and meteorologists believe it’s smoke from the fires burning *thousands* of kilometers away, in Rondônia or Paraguay,” journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/shannongsims/status/1163632818221719558" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Shannon Sims tweeted;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Shannon Sims tweeted</a> on Aug. 19. “Imagine how much has to be burning to create that much smoke(!). SOS.”

Fires have been raging at a record rate in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for weeks, threatening wildlife and Earth’s oxygen in a disaster that activists say could drive further climate change. There have been 72,843 fires in Brazil this year (with more than half in its Amazon region), and satellite images have spotted 9,507 new forest fires in the county — mostly in the Amazon basin — since Aug. 15, according to CNN and Reuters, both citing Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

The area, known as "the planet's lungs," has been burning for weeks

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Some of the Most Devastating Photos from the Amazon Rainforest Fires

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