The Amazon has been on fire for an alleged three-weeks, with several wildfires burning across the rainforest. Concerned global citizens took to social media on Thursday to spread awareness about the blaze and how serious it is for the Earth, calling for action and prayers.
The Amazon Rainforest, the world’s largest rainforest, is home to approximately 3 million different species, as well as 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes. It’s rich ecosystem provides for more than 20% of the Earth’s oxygen. #AmazonFire pic.twitter.com/0fhDg6aztE
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— Lalaine (@LalaineSantoss) August 22, 2019
Amazon rainforest alone supplies 20% of our planet’s oxygen and is one of our best defenses against climate change. Forests give us so much.#PrayforAmazon #PrayForTheAmazon pic.twitter.com/SNH3DyWFBc
— ＲΞＤ ΞＹΞＳ (@impramuditha) August 22, 2019
Many are comparing the lack of global action, however, to Notre Dame’s fire earlier this year.
“There was worldwide outcry when the Notre Dame cathedral was on fire. Why is there not the same level of outrage for the fires destroying the #AmazonRainforest?” tweeted WWF UK
There was worldwide outcry when the Notre Dame cathedral was on fire. Why is there not the same level of outrage for the fires destroying the #AmazonRainforest? pic.twitter.com/VbSda5PYAK
— WWF UK (@wwf_uk) August 21, 2019
“Thousands of miles away, the Amazon rainforest is burning, but it isn’t as fashionable to save, apparently.” #PrayForTheAmazon pic.twitter.com/oTZkdv5kar
— ً (@bestofxdolan) August 22, 2019
There was worldwide outcry when the Notre Dame cathedral was on fire. Why is there not the same level of outrage for the fires destroying the #AmazonRainforest? The Amazon provides 20% of the Planet’s oxygen. Wake up people pic.twitter.com/SDnQCRopk8
— Jumpin Jack Frost (@djjjfrost) August 22, 2019
There was worldwide outcry when the Notre Dame cathedral was on fire. Why is there not the same level of outrage for the fires destroying the #AmazonRainforest? The Amazon provides 20% of the Planet’s oxygen. Wake up people pic.twitter.com/SDnQCRopk8
— Jumpin Jack Frost (@djjjfrost) August 22, 2019
As the tweets emphasize, the rainforest is the largest in the world and supplies the Earth with 20% of its oxygen.
A report by CNN on Thursday claimed that farmers are the likely cause as they usually burn areas of the forest to clear land for cattle and crops, especially during dry months.
“Dry weather, wind and heat caused the fires to increase greatly throughout the country,” Brazil’s environmental minister Ricardo Salles said in a tweet.
NASA on Thursday also posted satellite imagery of the smoke currently covering the rainforest.
Smoke from wildfires in the #AmazonRainforest spreads across several Brazilian states in this natural-color image taken by a @NASAEarth instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite. Although it is fire season in Brazil, the number of fires may be record-setting: https://t.co/NVQrffzntr pic.twitter.com/4JTcBz9C8f
— NASA (@NASA) August 21, 2019
Though forest fires at this time of the year are not unnatural, the severity of this year’s fires alludes to global warming’s rising intensity.
Feature image: screenshot, @wwf_uk via Twitter
