The Amazon Rainforest has been on fire for three weeks and humans are to blame according to environmental groups.

Ever since far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January, deforestation in the Amazon has risen by incredible amounts. As the INPE reports an 88% increase. This has been blamed on the fact that Bolsonaro’s administration has mitigated regulation and control on environmental policies, and exchanging the exploitation of the Amazon for economic benefits. Thus, feeding the public consensus that politicians alone cannot be trusted to face the causes and effects of climate change. Bolsonaro has dubbed the government’s primary monitoring agency as a ‘fines agency’. Consequently, Bolsonaro’s dislike of the agency has lead to the fewest number of penalties issued in 11 years, and inspections down by 70% since before his Presidency. This year alone, 72,843 Amazonian wildfires have been reported.

The Brazilian government further festers a culture of environmental mistrust within its citizens and people internationally. Bolsonaro’s environmental minister, Ricardo Salles, was convicted of environmental fraud last year. He had found to had never once visited the Amazon region, and failed to appoint regional officials to undertake environmental matters.

The Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and is a vital hub of biodiversity with an estimated 10 million species of different flora and fauna inhabiting it. With these soaring rates of deforestation, we are not allowing the Amazon to be an effective habitat. Nor are we allowing these animals and plants to thrive in peace. With each tree lost and cut down, Amazon’s nickname of “Lungs of the Earth” is weakened.

Deforestation of the Amazon is also one of the major factors of how wildfires are caused. Without trees in the soil to hold the moisture in the ground, it renders the underlying vegetation dry, therefore allowing it to be increasingly prone to fires. Yet, Bolsonaro still denies deforestation, dismissing deforestation data as simply “lies”.

Bolsonaro’s environmental skepticism is prevalent and worrying. On the 21st of August, Bolosonaro claimed that NGOs are linked to the current fires in the Amazon. Despite the fact that he fails to justify his beliefs due to lack of evidence, he states that NGOs cause these wildfires in spite of the cuts made to their funding. Threatening and in attempts to deny facts, Bolsonaro believes that these wildfires are simply in existence to create negative narratives against him.

The fires are caused by humans. Farmers in the Amazon use slash-and-burn techniques to cut down trees in order to clear land for farming. Illegal logging operations have also been infamous for starting a fire in order to move indigenous people off their land – yet another negative impact of deforestation. Internationally, people have been responding on social media with the hashtag ‘#prayforamazonia’ trending globally on Twitter, voicing their concern towards political carelessness in regards to the environment.

please pray for brazil, pray for the amazon, pray that these fires will stop. My heritage is literally burning away, my ancestors LIVED there. People still LIVE there. Bolsoñaro is doing nothing to help the environment.. please help brazil #PrayforAmazonia https://t.co/RrCy6zMYb7 pic.twitter.com/Z40wVxoC8p — 𝖑𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖆💨 (@taehunnyy) August 20, 2019

Recently, wildfires have become a cause of global concern as over 21,000 square miles of forest were damaged in a wildfire in Siberia this month. Additionally, a wildfire in the Canary island caused the evacuation of eight thousand. In more recent news, new fires flared up in Alaska this weekend.

Climate change’s impacts are shocking and becoming an increasingly powerful threat. Without the ability to trust the world’s politicians to handle its looming presence, it is left up to the people to use their voices and force those in power to use it correctly. before time runs out.

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