The Amazon Rainforest is ON FIRE

Amazon Rainforest is ON FIRE
By: Jessica Anyolo

So unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’ve heard about the Amazon rainforest and how its burning to the ground or whatever. Probably not a big deal right? It’s like 3400 miles away. WRONG! It’s a huge deal! The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest on the planet, serving as a home to hundreds of species found nowhere else.

The Amazon rainforest, mainly contained in Brazil, covers 2.1 of the 2.7 million square miles of land known as the Amazon Basin, and is home to more than 40,000 plant species, approximately 2.5 million insect species, and 1500 bird species, as well as a few thousand Amazon natives, living in tribes that have not yet made contact with the world. The forest also produces a very large amount of the Earth’s oxygen, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) the trees to photosynthesize. For years now, deforestation and small forest fires have been eating away at the luscious greenery, but why is this just now becoming a problem? 
    Due to policies implemented by the surrounding countries' governments, deforestation has dramatically increased, but wildfires play a very large part in the destruction of it all. The ongoing wildfires are burning the forest at a completely unprecedented rate, releasing all of the carbon dioxide that's stored in the trees back into the atmosphere, and destroying the habitats of thousands of dependent animals. Not only is this a blow to the biodiversity of the forest, but the CO2 emissions are enough to significantly speed up global warming, which in turn causes the air to be warmer, leading to more forest fires, which starts the cycle all over again. C
Now, what can we humans to stop this seemingly endless cycle? We could start by supporting activist groups such as the Rainforest Action Network, who lead hard hitting boycotts against corporations and governments that actively destroy the rainforest for more land. We could also invest more in Rainforest Communities, where people donate to provide funding to help the native forest people gain recognition of their territory and fight against destructive government practices. 
On a smaller scale, as younger individuals, we can cut down on the amount of paper and wood we use. With the increased digitization of everything, this is becoming progressively easier, but we still have a ways to go. We could also cut down on the amount of oil that we use to alleviate the impact of the burning of fossil fuels on global warming. All of these things in the long run will help with the Amazon Forest fires.
Do you think we should actually be worried about the fires? Are there any other more “practical” solutions?


“7 Steps You Can Take to Help Save the Amazon Rainforest.” Adventure Life, www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/what-can-i-do 
“Amazon Rainforest Facts.” Soft Schools, www.Softschools.com 
Aragão, Luiz, et al. “Amazon Rainforests That Were Once Fire-Proof Have Become Flammable.” The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2019, https://theconversation.com/amazon-rainforests-that-were-once-fire-proof-have-become-flammable-91775

Comments

Anonymous said…
It is a shame to what is happening to the lungs of the world. Global climate recovery will be exponentially more difficult after the devastation of the forests stalling the inevitable. But the Amazon is not the only place where these wildfires are occurring. From a satellite, you can see just as many fires in the jungles and forest of Africa along the equator. Both regions contain developing countries grasping on to the resources they have to develop as a country. The purposeful destruction of the forests is unethical and not helpful to the global crisis. I think it's up to world leaders like our president– who didn't attend the climate briefing at th G7 conference on purpose– and the leader of Brazil. Like you said, reducing our use of paper and lower the demand for paper and logging will overall help but in the end, I believe, common citizens have a voice to protect the life of the planet from elitist economist driven leaders.
August 28, 2019 at 9:44 PM
Anonymous said…
Well of course we should care! In a couple years it’s going to be our Earth. We as a younger generation has a duty to be prepared to help the Earth in any way we can once it is in our power to. Unfortunately as high schoolers there’s only so much we can do, but still, we must be prepared. It’s a truly horrible event happening to the Earth right now, and I really hope we find hope soon because it just seems like our chances at saving the Earth looks bleaker with every passing day.
August 29, 2019 at 4:18 PM
Anonymous said…
It is a real shame how billionaires flock in an instant to drop millions on the repair a dusty old church in Europe, but no one is rushing to help save the lungs of the planet. That just shows how skewed the priorities are of society. Not only are the lungs of the world, but potential cures for disease, undiscovered species, and so much more is burning without us even knowing what we are missing. If even a fraction of the funds and publicity given to the Notre Dame Church went to helping the amazon, the fire would’ve been out long ago.
August 30, 2019 at 12:39 PM
Unknown said…
The G-7 leaders wanted to offer $20 million but the Brazilian president, Bolsonaro, said that he didn’t want it. And, recently, he’s been throwing out excuses about how the police couldn’t reinforce the actions of loggers and farmers because it was “dangerous” until after the fires have been started and more forest has been lost. It’s really disappointing seeing world leaders care more about profit and the economy of today than the future of tomorrow.

Alice Cao
August 30, 2019 at 12:51 PM
Anonymous said…
This summer was one of the driest summers in the amazon history. Prime burning season runs from June through November with a peak in September. We should be worried about the amazon rainforest fires because scientists fear that this could help tip the earth toward a catastrophic heat wave. The amazon stores 120 billion tons worth of carbon that will influence our world wide temperatures. We could teach more students about the environment, but teaching them will only help so much. We as human beings need to speak out as a whole to save our earth.
September 1, 2019 at 9:15 AM
Anonymous said…
I would be very concerned if someone DIDN’T care, as this issue is crucial to how both we as people and our environment survive into the next generations. An out of control wildfire in one of Earth’s prime oxygen suppliers is something that must be addressed very, very quickly, and it’s terrible that global leaders have failed so far to do much, if anything about this issue. Furthermore, the fact that deforestation, particularly in the Amazon rainforest, has been supported by some of such leaders is shocking and unacceptable. It’s clear that their motives are short-term crop production and agricultural gain, but they fact that they have not considered the implications and effects of destroying such wildlife is disappointing and more than negates any benefit they may have stood to gain. This is our world now, and it’s time somebody made a change to how politics and the environment interact.
September 1, 2019 at 10:35 AM
Anonymous said…
It's so sad what's happening. It's happened periodically I've read(I forget where so don't quote me or anything) for a while now. They burn the azon rainforest because they need more land for mainly livestock, even though sometimes they don't even have permission from the government. But now that they have started, it seems that they can't stop. Some people have been looking at buying areas of the Amazon rainforest to preserve it And other companies have claimed that they will not be buying the products that the burnings are making land for, including vans. I love that you can see the small changes in peoples minds and how we are ruining the world, but they're are so many people that we need to reach that don't even know or believe what's happening. It's just so sad
September 1, 2019 at 4:59 PM
Emi Thomas said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
September 2, 2019 at 1:52 PM
Emi Thomas said…
Even as high schoolers, we still have a voice and an impact on the world. Let’s devote our energy into pressuring the people in high positions of power to actually do something about this crisis! If we as a generation can generate enough news and backlash against the amazon rainforest burning, then we could back higher government powers into a corner where they have no choice but to devote their time to climate change and its effects on the world. We may not be able to vote yet, but we still have a voice in the matter.
- Emi Thomas
September 2, 2019 at 1:56 PM
Emi Thomas said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
September 2, 2019 at 1:56 PM
Anonymous said…
Jair Bolosnaro, the president of Argentina is the one who also makes the problem worse. By focusing on the economic benefits gained from trying to commercialize the forest, it makes the environment significantly worse. Also, there are United States companies who invest in these regional Brazilian companies who commercialize the forest. We could protest these companies and ask our political leaders to create policy to prevent these Brazilian companies from continuing their construction. We have the capability to help protect the Amazon!

Urvi Vallapareddy
September 3, 2019 at 12:09 PM
Anonymous said…
As we get older and are close to thw age when we can vote. We need to pay more attention to all of these issues happening not only in our country but with all this global warming we need to pay attention to problems around the world. With social media we are able to get a lot of information around the world at our finger tips. I think with being a very opinionated and powerful generation we need to put our social media to use and spread the word. Problems like the amazon rainforest burning needs to brought to everyone’s attention. We as teens have th empower and responsibly as the next generation to take control of these situations and spread the word so we can do better.
Camilla
September 3, 2019 at 3:20 PM
Anonymous said…
I think we should be worried about the burning of the Amazon Rainforest. The burning of the trees emits CO2 into the atmosphere; thus, further contributing to the climate crisis. Global warming affects all 7 billion of us, and we need to come together to help reduce gases that are harmful to our atmosphere. Some practical ways to prevent fires like these are by voting, supporting indigenous people, protesting large corporations, or even voicing our opinions on social media. If we vote to keep those who do not believe in the climate crisis out of office, they could pass more effective legislature on this issue. Bolosnaro, the president of Argentina, does not care for the indigenous people; if we elect a representative who does, then they would put a priority on those who are dying/losing their land. Finally, if we voice our opinions through boycotts and over social media, the government and the corporations will have to listen and resolve these issues.
September 3, 2019 at 6:45 PM
Anonymous said…
Of course we should care about the fires. Although they aren’t within close proximity to us, the effects of such a large carbon sink will be felt throughout the world, in which all of us will have less clean air and more carbon in our atmosphere. Though all citizens know this, it is through the fault of big corporations and the government that these destructive practices are going on. In return, it should be the citizens job to boycott these large companies who profit off of the destruction of our environment and vote in politicians who have green environmental policies.
September 3, 2019 at 7:01 PM
Anonymous said…
We should definitely be concerned about the fires. Like you said, the Amazon Rain forest is one of the most vital tools for carbon storage, so not only is the excessive burning of the rain forest harmful to the organisms and biodiversity of the ecosystem, it is harmful to us as humans because not only are we emitting massive amounts of carbon dioxide, but now we are destroying one of our biggest resistances to global warming. I think you are completely right about how we should deal with the burning of the rain forest and how to take preventative measures to keep our earth healthier, because at the end of the day, we can't be fair judges of the acts of large corporations if we aren't doing our part to make the earth a better place.
September 4, 2019 at 4:21 PM
Aerah Kim said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
September 4, 2019 at 9:49 PM
Aerah Kim said…

Even though we are just highschoolers and many people won't hear about what we have to say but we must try our best to help our world today and for the future. Wildfires can destroy homes and cause many issues due to pollution in the air. The rainforest is very important due to the carbon inside, and excessive burning to the forests can hurt many organisms and species. As we grow older we learn about the harshness of our environment, also social media can lead us into doing things that might even harm our world without even knowing!

-Aerah KIm
September 4, 2019 at 9:50 PM
Aerah Kim said…

Even though we are just highschoolers and many people won't hear about what we have to say but we must try our best to help our world today and for the future. Wildfires can destroy homes and cause many issues due to pollution in the air. The rainforest is very important due to the carbon inside, and excessive burning to the forests can hurt many organisms and species. As we grow older we learn about the harshness of our environment, also social media can lead us into doing things that might even harm our world without even knowing!

-Aerah KIm
September 4, 2019 at 9:50 PM
Anonymous said…
I do believe that we should care about the fires that are happening in the Amazon Rain forest. I think its important because this is the world we live in and for these devastating fires to be happening which result in the release of CO2 will greatly affect us. With the release of such a massive amount of CO2 will contribute and speed up the process of Global warming that will affect everyone in this world. Wildfires can destroy anything and everything and for us to try an stop it will help our world. It is important for us to support and pick the right organizations and representatives to stop these events.

-Andrew Thomas
September 5, 2019 at 5:49 PM
Anonymous said…
The Amazon rainforest often referred to as the “lungs of the earth” because it is the single largest and mist bio diverse forest in the planet should definitely be cared for. The fact that we nearly have 10 years remaining before irreversible ozone layer damage only strengthens the importance of helping this rainforest and spreading more awareness. If the entire forest burns down not only will the world lose thousands of plant and animal species but also exponentially larger co2 levels within the atmosphere. Only launching us deeper into our own destruction. We should all make an effort to donate even small amounts to non profit organizations in efforts to help recover this beautiful biome. If every American donated a dollar to the same non profit organization their funds would skyrocket beyond the bare minimum necessity. Thus spreading awareness and striving for a cry in government help is the best way possible to achieve a social movement towards helping the Amazon.
September 9, 2019 at 9:48 PM
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