The lush Amazon Rainforest located in Brazil has reportedly been on fire from the past 16-18 days. Thousands of fires are devastating the rainforest and are said to be a record-breaking chain of around 72,843 fires in Brazil in 2019 itself. In comparison, 40,136 fires burned in the region last year. The second-worst year was 2016, with 68,484 fires.
The Amazon is a vigorous benefactor for the planet due to its extraordinary capacity to absorb plenty of carbon from the atmosphere. Moreover, the rainforest has an astonishingly rich ecosystem – there are around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals and a whopping 2.5 million different insects.
According to scientists, the burning of the rainforest won’t just prompt a major loss in biodiversity and a deadlier environmental change however will likewise bring forth other poisonous compounds such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. That being said, if the forest is burnt irrevocably, scientists believe that the rainforest will start emitting carbon. Like all other climatic problems, the fire was lit and spread as a result of human activities i.e. deforestation.
Environmentalists have additionally put the fault on President Jair Bolsonaro, saying his policies have only compromised the forest more. Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has more than once thrashed Brazil’s ecological guidelines as an obstacle to economic improvement, and under his tenure environmental offices have seen lessened staff and subsidizing, said the report.
The gigantic consequences of the disastrous event are quite clear and will be witnessed by us and the coming generations. It is strange and rather funny to see how humans ignore and run away from the events that need immediate attention but when real jeopardy arrives, we develop all sorts of slogans and hashtags to protect ourselves from it.
Hopefully, now the world wakes up and chooses to bring a change in light of the fact that the extinction of the planet and its occupants is not far away.
Image credits: Rainforest Trust
