The Amazon rainforest is burning at a
record rate- the highest on record since 2013 and an 83%
increase from last year. Earlier this month, Brazil
declared a state of emergency over the rising number of
fires in the region. So far this year, almost 73,000
fires in the country have been detected by Brazil's
space research center, INPE.
The Amazon is regarded as vital in the fight against
global warming due to its ability to absorb carbon from
the air. It’s often referred to as the “lungs of the
Earth,” as more than 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen
is produced there.Brazil has the biggest share of the
670 million hectares of forest (60 per cent), which is
home to more species than anywhere else on the
planet.The region is home to 2.5 million insect species,
tens of thousands of plants, and some 2000 birds and
mammals.
Satellite images show fires in the Brazilian states of
Amazonas, Rondonia, Para and Mato Grosso. The state of
Amazonas is most affected, according to Euronews.
The reason for the fires is disputed, but not that
convincingly from this height. Natural fires in the
Amazon are rare, and the majority of these fires were
set by farmers preparing Amazon-adjacent farmland for
next year’s crops and pasture. Much of the land that is
burning was not old-growth rainforest, but land that had
already been cleared of trees and set for agricultural
use.
Deforestation more broadly is always a cause for
concern. Last year, the world lost about 30 million
acres of tree cover, including 8.9 million acres of
primary rainforest, an area the size of Belgium,
according to data from the University of Maryland.
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE)’s
figures represent a 79% increase in fires from the same
period in 2018. There have been large numbers of fires
in other recent years as well: According to a manager of
Global Forest Watch, the number of fires in the Amazon
this year is roughly comparable to 2016.NASA says the
state has become one of the most deforested states in
the Amazon. Brazil has 85% more fires burning than this
time last year - up to 80,626 nationwide as of 25
august.
Other countries have also been affected by fires
A number of other countries in the Amazon basin - an
area spanning 7.4m sq km (2.9m sq miles) - have also
seen a high number of fires this year.
Venezuela has experienced the second-highest number,
with more than 26,000 fires, with Bolivia coming in
third, with more than 17,000.
Anthropogenic or natural, whatever reason behind this
disaster is not a topic right now, need of hour is to
control of this fire genie which is engulfing huge
habitat and living organisms among forest.