As the flames in Amazon blazes on, much of the world prays and anticipates for a positive outcome that is drastically different from the apocalyptic predictions. Whilst hashtags such as “#PrayForAmazon” started trending in Twitter, very little was actually done to solve the problem on the ground due to lack of political will.
Amazon, comprising of a total land area of 2.1 million square miles, is home to almost half the animal species in the world specifically animals and plants seen nowhere else in the world. It is not only rich in natural resources but also is an essential lifeline for the survival of the planet and generations of human beings to come. It pumps out 6% of the entire oxygen supply of the world which helps to persevere Earth’s ecosystem as we know it.
The Amazon, in 2019, has seen the most number of forest fires in a decade. Exact numbers are hard to estimate but the number is thought to be greater than 40,000. So far, 906,000 hectares of forest has been burnt away and flames still rage on in the heart of Amazon. The fires have burnt away trees, demolished natural course of rivers and released tones of carbon dioxide in the air. Therefore, the current crisis has raised more than a few eyebrows as global leaders are concerned about the sustainability of the planet and the rapid acceleration of the rise in average global temperature which is currently submerging land areas, displacing people away from their homelands and making people destitute and landless.
Forest fires are crucial for a forest and are an essential part of the life cycle of a rainforest or any forest in general. They help to burn off debris and hence create space for new plants to grow, help seeds germinate and return nutrients back to the soil. However, rainforests tend to be damp and forest fires tend to be less of a prominent feature of such forests. Therefore, the current forest fires is a reason for concern. Due to human activities, such as logging and deforestation, the forest has become drier than before which has led to the increased frequency of forest fires. Some fires are human induced where farmers themselves set fire on the Amazon to clear land for farmlands and grazing fields for domestic animals. The most recent and devastating forest fire was set by armed gangs who clear parts of the forest and sell them to farmers illegally. Whilst there are legislations against such activities, they are none the less rampant and common. The provinces of Roraima, Acre, Rondonia and Amazonas have been the worst hit by recent fires. The fire is believed to have originated from Rondonia.
As the flames grow brighter and smoke turns more suffocating, Brazilian politicians live in denial. The foreign minister Ernesto Arnauja has denied the existence of fire and its gravity though there is empirical data to show that the world, at large, is at crisis. Jair Bolsonaro, a populist leader recently elected as the President of the country, has described the forest fires as “natural” but afterwards imposed a ban on logging and setting fire on forest for 60 days for the pressure he faced from within and outside his country. However, such measures are unlikely to create any change because Bolsonaro does not intend to protect the Amazon. His election mandate promised people to give more jobs and so far has stayed true to his words by allowing corporations to settle in the forest areas and by making logging laws lax.
So far, the international community has tried to pressurize the Brazilian government to show urgency regarding the matter. Emmanuel Macron, the French President, called out his Brazilian counterpart for inadequate measures to tackle forest fires. Brazil was also threatened by G7 countries with economic sanctions. In response, Brazil promised to deploy 43,000 troops in the Amazon to tackle the crisis. However, the promise failed to materialize. Brazil was also offered 22 million USD worth of aid to protect Amazon and to tackle forest fires by the G7 countries which was turned down. The Brazilian government’s justification for the action was to “not bow down to or take help from colonial powers”. Meanwhile, its neighbor Chile has offered Brazil 4 military planes to be used for extinguishing Amazon fire. The offer, like the aforementioned one, was not accepted. This shows that Brazil has a genuine disinterest in protecting the Amazon.
The most likely victims of such forest fires are likely to be Brazilians themselves who, in the time being, are rallying behind Bolsonaro. As the Amazon burns and wears away, the rain patterns and cycles are likely to change in Brazil and thus hamper the natural growth of crops. Temperatures are likely to increase which would drop the production of sugar cane, an essential produce for the Brazilian economy, as per experts. However, the most vulnerable people are the indigenous communities and tribes living in the forest. Their ancestral land for decades is being burnt away from them for creating more farmlands. Without any political representation, these people are unlikely to be listened to and cared for and hence the most likely outcome for these people is to be displaced away from their homes.
In the status quo, the importance of the Amazon is immense. As average annual global temperatures rise, ice caps melt at an alarming rate. We have recently experienced the hottest July of all time. Netherlands, Germany and Belgium have all hit record temperatures this past summer. So, the perseveration of the Amazon is of utmost importance in the present. However, people’s ignorance and lack of knowledge about global warming and political dynamics have prevented conservation to the point that our very existence is at threat.
Al Wasee M Fahimuddaula
Executive Editor