The Amazon rainforest is on fire, Twitter calls for action

Amazon

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.

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

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.

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

Shereesa Moodley
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