The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is raging with thousands of fires that have never been seen in nearly a decade.
The regions most affected by the fires are the northern states of Roraima, Rondonia and the Amazon. However, social media images of these fires under the #PrayforAmazonas label (Pray for Amazon) may not be accurate, many dating back to ancient fires decades ago and some not in Brazil at all. What exactly is happening in the Amazon, and what is the real impact of these fires?
Brazil has set a record level of fires this year, 2019, according to data from the Brazilian Space Agency. According to the National Institute of Space Research in Brazil, data from its satellite indicate an 85 percent increase in fire rates, compared to the same period last year 2018.
According to official data, more than 75,000 forest fires were detected in Brazil in the first eight months of this year - the highest number since 2013. The number of fires recorded in the same period last year did not exceed 40,000. Fires are common in the Amazon forests in the dry season, which runs from July to October. Fires can be sparked by nature as in lightning strikes, but they can also be triggered by farmers and loggers who dispose of firewood to prepare the land for new crops or grazing.
Activists say anti-environmental speeches by Brazilian President Yair Bolsonaro encourage such activities to get rid of trees. Bolsonaro, who is skeptical about climate change, in turn accuses non-governmental organizations of setting fire to smear his government. But the president later said the government lacked the resources to put out the fires. Northern Brazil was deeply affected Most of the areas most affected by fires are located in the north of the country. The states of Roraima, Acre, Rondonia and Amazon have experienced the largest increase in fire rates compared to the rate of the last four years (2015-2018).
Roraima saw an increase in fire rates by 141 percent, Acre state by 138 percent, Rondonia state by 115 percent and Amazon by 81 percent. To the south, the state of Mato Grosso do Sul saw a 114 percent increase. The largest state in Brazil, the Amazon, declared a state of emergency. Fires release large amounts of smoke and carbon emissions Clouds of fire covered the sky of the Amazon and beyond. According to the European Union's Copernicus (KAMS) air surveillance service, clouds of smoke travel all the way to the Atlantic coast. It even made the sky darker in São Paulo more than 3,200 kilometers.
The fires emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, which reached 228 megatons so far this year, according to (Kames), the highest since 2010. Emissions include carbon monoxide, which is caused by wood burning in a scarcity of oxygen. CAMS maps show that carbon monoxide with high levels of toxicity has reached beyond the coastlines of South America.
About three million species of flora and fauna and one million indigenous people live in the Amazon basin. The Amazon basin is vital to curbing global warming. Forests absorb millions of tons of carbon emissions each year. When trees are cut or burned, the carbon they store releases into the atmosphere and the rainforests are less able to absorb carbon emissions. Other countries affected by fires A number of countries in the Amazon basin, which is sprawling over an area of ​​7.4 million square kilometers, have seen an increase in the number of fires this year. The second largest number of fires went to Venezuela, which witnessed more than 26 thousand fires, followed by Bolivia in third place with more than 17 thousand fires.
The Bolivian government has chartered a plane to extinguish fires in the east of the country. Fires have been stretched for about six square kilometers in forests and pastures. The government has also pushed more emergency workers into the area and is working to set up sanctuaries for fleeing animals.