Amazon fire: the rainforest is burning, but the photos you’re seeing are probably decades old From politicians to iconic singers, some of the world’s most famous people are sharing old photos like they’re from this week

As global concerns rise over raging wildfires in the Amazon, a number of celebrities and high-profile figures are sharing decades old images of the forest.

Alongside sharing their condolences and frustrations on Twitter, figures such as Emmanuel Macron, Madonna, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carrie Symonds have shared outdated images of Amazon fires, and in some cases not even of the location at all.

Fans and ordinary people are resharing the images in response, further perpetuating the idea that these are up-to-date photos of the incident.

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In one case, the image shared is dated from 1989.

Background

The Amazon rainforest has experienced a record number of wildfires, with new data detecting 72,843 fires so far, it was reported on Thursday.

Brazil’s space research centre INPE announced an 83 per cent increase over the same period of 2018 on Tuesday, the highest since records began in 2013.

Fires have long been an issue in the Amazon. Since the 1970s, Brazil has cut and burned around 20 per cent of the forest – an area larger than Texas – The Intercept recorded. It is unsurprising that old images have been confused as recent ones now the issue has gained widespread attention.

Inaccurate location

The Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and its been burning for the past 3 weeks. It’s our responsibility to help to save our planet. #prayforamazonia pic.twitter.com/83bNL5a37Q — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 22, 2019

On Thursday, Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo, shared an image of a smokey fire in open land with the caption: “The Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and its been burning for the past 3 weeks. It’s our responsibility to help to save our planet. #prayforamazonia.”

The tweet has been retweeted more than 97,000 times.

The footballer’s image isn’t even of the Amazon forest – it’s a 27 March 2013 fire at the Taim Ecological Station, in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil.

It originally came from a photographer named Lauro Alves for Getty and Agence France-Presse.

In the Getty caption, it said that the “fire that started Tuesday in southern Brazil had reached approximately 1,400 acres and the risk of spreading is severe, since there is no way to reach the place by water or land.”

It was even featured in a Guardian ’24 hours in pictures’ photo series in 2013.

In the past 24 hours, the image has been shared countless times online as if it were a picture of the Amazon wildfire, with no attribution to the actual incident or date.

Decades old

The Fires Are Raging and The Amazonia continues to burn………This is a devastation to Brazil—to the indigenous people who live there and the-plant and animal species that make this the most important bio-diverse Forest!!! President Bolsonaro please… https://t.co/YbxldYw8HY pic.twitter.com/lex4UIwHcg — Madonna (@Madonna) August 22, 2019

Perhaps the most confusing image shared was Madonna’s which has been retweeted more than 7,000 times.

The singer shared the image on Instagram where a filter, either by her or someone else had been put on with the caption: “The Fires Are Raging and The Amazonia continues to burn………

“This is a devastation to Brazil—to the indigenous people who live there and the-plant and animal species that make this the most important bio-diverse Forest!!! President Bolsonaro please…”

In reality, the original of the image – which looks slightly different without a filter – was taken in 1989.

The original is actually a stock image available on Rex of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Like Ronaldo’s image, Madonna’s has clearly been shared and reshared as a result of her posting, and filtered versions of the original are now all over the internet.

Again

Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let's discuss this emergency first order in two days! #ActForTheAmazon pic.twitter.com/dogOJj9big — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 22, 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron similarly posted an outdated image, calling for members of the G7 to discuss what he described as an “international crisis” in the Amazon.

On Thursday he posted the photograph which was retweeted 36,000 times, along with the caption: “Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire.

“It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let’s discuss this emergency first order in two days! #ActForTheAmazon.”

The image is a stock one available on Alamy and taken by photographer, Loren McIntyre. Moreover, the image must have been an extremely old one as the famous American photojournalist died in 2003.

And again

Impossible not to feel real pain looking at images of the fire raging through the Amazon. Along with the world’s oceans, the forests are our lungs. We need them. This isn’t a Brazilian issue, this is an issue for every single one of us. pic.twitter.com/NHAlNWD8cZ — Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) August 23, 2019

Conservationist Carrie Symonds also shared Macron’s image along with another. She tweeted alongside it: “Impossible not to feel real pain looking at images of the fire raging through the Amazon.

“Along with the world’s oceans, the forests are our lungs. We need them. This isn’t a Brazilian issue, this is an issue for every single one of us.”

But the other image she shared was also from years ago, and was taken by Mario Tama for Getty – it was taken on 22 November 2014 of the Ze Doca fire. The caption read: “Fires are often set by ranchers to clear shrubs and forest for grazing land in the Amazon basin.

“The non-governmental group Imazon recently warned that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon skyrocketed 450 percent in October this year compared with the same month last year. The United Nations climate change conference begins 1 December in neighbouring Peru.”