The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate
RUNDOWN. Nearly 80,000 fires have been registered across Brazil through Aug. 24, an 83% increase from last year, according to the space research agency INPE. How did we get here? The key points to understand the drama that the planet is undergoing since now 3 weeks.
- The Amazon rainforest in Brazil, known as "the lung of the Earth", is being devoured by violent forest fires since 3 weeks straight.
- In a 48-hour period, leading up to Thursday, there were more than 2,500 active fires in the Brazilian rainforest,
- The Amazon, home of 1 million Indigenous people from up to 500 tribes and 3 million species, covers more than 2 million square miles across nine South American countries.
- Amazon deforestation began in earnest in the 1970s, reaching its peak rate at the end of the 1990s and the start of the 2000s.
”Look what they did to our reservation. We spent 2 years working hard on it. Now our village is in flames. They weren’t satisfied with destroying the river, with our sources of life, now, they set our village on fire. We will not stay quiet", shout of anger this indigenous. https://t.co/SSwr7sk0JN
— Marie Le Blé (@mleble) August 24, 2019
- Under international pressure to contain fires sweeping parts of Brazil's Amazon, President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday authorized use of the military to battle the huge blazes while thousands took to the streets to protest his environmental policies.
- Brazil's President has fired back at critics around the world by calling the global alarm "sensationalist" and warned foreign governments not to meddle in the territory.
Protesters gathered outside Brazilian embassies across Europe on Friday to rally against the Brazilian government's response to the fires in the #Amazon rainforest pic.twitter.com/5IvVLf8sTR
— Pattrn (@pattrn) August 23, 2019
- Since taking office in January, he has encouraged farmers, ranchers and loggers to clear land in the Amazon, accelarating the rate of deforestation and interfering on the land of indigenous peoples.
- On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called the fires an "international crisis" and urged leaders at the G-7 summit to prioritize the fires during their discussions in France this weekend.
- Bolsonaro accused Macron of a "colonialist" mindset for attempting to bring the issue to the forefront of the summit. Brazil is not a member of the G-7.
This NASA time series shows carbon monoxide associated with fires from the Amazon region in Brazil
— Universal-Sci (@universal_sci) August 24, 2019
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech pic.twitter.com/tpZTUzmeDc
- A firefighting Supertanker plane from the US is helping in the Amazon rainforest after President Donald Trump offered on Friday Bolsonaro assistance.
- Earlier this week, Bolsonaro said that nonprofit groups may have set the fires themselves in an act of retaliation.
- He admitted Thursday that farmers could in fact be to blame for the increase in fires.
- Brazil is struggling economically, and the potential provided by Amazonian land has grown more tempting, despite warnings from scientists about the dangers of deforestation.
- Balsonaro recently shifted authority over indigenous peoples from the government's official indigenous rights agency to the agriculture ministry, which could harm their long-term protections.
- Madonna, DiCaprio Lead Hollywood Call for Action on Amazon Fire.
- Leonardo DiCaprio Pledges $5 Million to foundation committed to helping Amazon fires.
- The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world producing 20% of the earth's oxygen and is considered vital to combating climate change.
- Swathes of the Amazon rainforest are burning at a record rate.
- French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said the G7 was nearing a deal to provide “technical and financial help” to countries affected by the Amazon fires.
- Nearly 80,000 fires have been registered across Brazil through Aug. 24, the highest since at least 2013 and an 83% increase from last year, according to space research agency INPE.
- Brazilian climate scientist Carlos Nobre said the Amazon could reach a tipping point with already 15-17% of the rainforest that have been destroyed.
- Brazil rejects on Monday G-7 offer of $20 million in aid.
To help and support the Amazon: www.junglekeepers.com @junglekeepers
Reuters, CBS News, BBC and Paul Rosolie contributed to this report.
Photos by Mohsin Kazmi and Anastasia Zhenina from Pexels
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