Amazonia is burning
About the environmental emergency in Brazil, Peru and other parts of the Amazon
Dear reader in the Northern Hemisphere, I have some very sad news to you. As we are speaking, Amazonian rainforests are burning. The intense fume of these wild fires is expanding to up to 60% of the Brazilian territory and even reaching the neighbouring countries, Argentine, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay. The wildfires started already some months ago and keep on destroying very vast areas of rainforest, affecting the air quality in 13 provinces. In Paraguay, reports Infobae, the authorities in Amazonian border zones needed to suspend school for children because of the intensity of the smoke in the air.
Already in April this year, CBC reported on its Youtube channel that the record wildfires of this year are not normal.
In Brazil, the Amazon is suffering from the worst drought since 1950, and the wild fires have make the situation worst. The air quality of large cities like Sao Paolo has been affected by the fumes. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru have currently declared a national state of emergency because of the uncontrolled wildfires.
Fort the time being, already 10 people have died in Peru because of the fires and three are reported missing. The incidents affect the flora and fauna of the Amazonian fragile ecosystem. Parts of the Amazon river are drying up, and the characteric pink dolphins are dying en masse. Both deforestation and fires affects the biodiversity of the Amazon, as reported by science journal The Nature in 2021, stating that the impact of fire on the ranges of species could be as high as 64%.
This year the fires have been severe and there is an 80% increase compared to the same period of time last year.
Why the forests are burning? NGO Amazon Watch reports that deforestation actually dropped 16% last year, but still, fires in old-growth Amazon forests increased by 152% in 2023. Climate change is drying the forests, making them more flammable. Deforestation in its turn accelerates climate change, as the trees provide shade and contributes in the cooling of the global temperature. In addition, each burning tree and each escaping or dead animal contributes to the desctruction of the Amazonian rainforest and its unique biosphere and the indigenous lands.
And how could this affect you, dear reader, in the Northern hemisphere, far away from the tropical forests and life threathening fumes? Amazonian rainforests are often called as the “lungs of the Earth”. This referes to the capacity of the trees to reflect heat high into the atmosphere, and therefore having a cooling effect on Earth, with an impact that goes far beyond the Amazon. If you are interested, I would encourage you to wath this National Geographic episode where Gisele Bundchen discusses the importance of Amazonian rainforests with Brazilian top scientists.
Since so many illegal activities affect the rainforests, and the produce obtained through these practices ends up in the market in the Northern countries, it is important to know where does the wood for your, say, floor or furniture comes from? Is the gold you are wearing coming from illegal mines? Where does your pension fund invest? As a citizen, what can you do for the climate and the environment? What can your government representative do? These are important questions, especially as the election season is approaching.