The world’s largest Amazon Rainforest , has been sparked by thousands of fires for over a month now. There has been a state of emergency being declared in Brazil. The world leaders from G7 already offered some aid to help control the fire but it has been refused by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Neighboring countries Peru and Colombia are putting in efforts to protect the rain forests by calling a meeting and establishing a pact. This year Brazil has witnessed the highest number of fires reported since 2013 and this is significantly up by over 85% from the last year. Brazil’s environmental protection system is on the verge of “collapse” as policies and political rhetoric is promoting illegal land grabbing in the Amazon and other biomes.
The extent of the fires is so huge that the smoke originating out of it is visible from even outer space. Several images of the same have been captured by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano. The haze resembles clouds in some of the pictures.
What is causing the fire?
In the month of August 2019, over 27,400 fires have been detected in the Amazon rainforests. Usually these fires occur every year as local farmers have to clear the land to grow new crops or graze cattle. However, this year’s fire season has been proving to be the most penetrating in many previous years.
The dry season creates the favorable conditions for the use and spread of fire, but starting a fire is the work of humans, either deliberately or by accident,On top of this, human activities such as farming, mining and drilling are worsening the situation now.It has drawn worldwide anxiety as several world leaders and celebrities are indulging in stark warnings and worried about the future of the Amazon.
Is climate change also responsible?
Gas emissions also increase in direct proportion to the number of fires. Hence, it affects the overall temperature of the planet and it rises to dangerous levels. As fallout of the rise in temperature we witness extreme climate events such as major droughts in areas and floods in other parts.
Deforestation negatively affects the rainfall patterns along with gas emissions and causes extended periods of no rain and dry conditions. The insufficiency of rainwater affects the growth of forests, biodiversity, agriculture and overall human health.
There have been sightings of carbon monoxide cloud in the northwest Amazon region from a NASA released Map last week.
How are we dousing the fire?
The widespread of the fire has been making it difficult to control the same. Many fires are still very active in the rain forests. The Brazilian Army has been brought into action to combat the flames and efforts are on the move.
There is some rain expected in the early September but this would not be enough as only a little effect can be achieved from the same. This won’t be enough to extinguish the fire. Also the rain is expected to miss out the desired areas and going to fall in the areas where the fires are not so large in nature.
US President Donald Trump has also tweeted his support on the issue and has offered help to fight the fire. However, Brazilina president Bolsonaro has shown confidence in their efforts and stated that they are capable of dealing with the fire and said that they have achieved much success till now.
