what lies behind the fires of the Amazon

The ravenous fires that destroy the Amazon for two weeks are new in the world, but not in the Brazilian media such as "O Globo" or "Folha de Sao Paulo".

Although in 2019, more than 70,000 fires were reported and fires ravaged the site almost 15 days ago, they all treat it as a near-routine affair.

The truth is that the problem is much more complex than a mere one-time disaster such as an earthquake or the fire of Notre Dame.

Several countries are concerned and, although it is true that the problem is currently rebounding (with the strange case of Sao Paulo and the cloud that covered the whole megalopolis as if the night had suddenly arrived), it is a problem who comes from behind, from far back, he repeats himself year after year and what happened these days is only a drop in the glbad. Of course, this can be a fatal drop.

The Amazon is one of the most important spaces for the planet and a key element in the fight against climate change, and its destruction goes far beyond fire.

There was a worldwide outcry when Notre Dame Cathedral was on fire. Why is there not the same level of indignation at the fires that are destroying the #AmazonRainforest? pic.twitter.com/VbSda5PYAK

– WWF UK (@wwf_uk) August 21, 2019

The news of the fires began to appear in the world last Tuesday. Suddenly, the networks were filled with images (many false) showing that the Amazon was burning and that something had to be done to save the lungs of the planet.

The photos were big fires and some NGOs and international agencies started talking about what had happened. But most people took it as a punctual fire that burned much of the natural environment, especially in Brazil. Something that was far from reality.

Disgusting images of the Amazon ????
#PrayforAmazonas pic.twitter.com/lE3jAU3bXX

– JosueR.Blandon (@JOSUER_Blandon) August 22, 2019

What is happening right now in the Amazon is not a fire like the ones we used to see in other countries, but rather thousands of small fires often called "burned" and that are caused by farmers and peasants, or clean the area where they live on vegetation or create new spaces for cultivation, ending with native flora that makes exploitation impossible.

These are scattered throughout the region and, if left unchecked, usually burn as long as vegetation permits. They leave Brazil, but also from Paraguay, Bolivia and a little less from Peru.

So why this year the alarm is much bigger? Basically, because the number of fires in 2019 has multiplied compared to previous years and in August (typical month of "queimadas" in the region), records have soared. In addition, this increase coincides with a change of Brazilian government that brought Jair Bolsonaro to power with a speech clearly contrary to the protection of the environment in the Amazon and in favor of the farmers who are trying to seize the square.

– Pousando em Manaus, muito bem escorted by Força Aérea. For Amazônia é Nossa! Deus acima of all! ???????? pic.twitter.com/oeCSiC5OnN

– Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) July 25, 2019

More specifically, according to the report of the National Institute of Space Research (INPE), the institution responsible for measuring these fires, so far this year, Brazil has suffered 72,843 fires, most of them in the Amazon.

The difference with 2018 is 40% higher, and it is only since last Wednesday that 9,500 new fires have been recorded throughout the region. This is where the recovery has led institutions and badociations to sound the alarm.

If we had any sense, it should hurt a little more than Our Lady hurt us. #PrayforAmazonas pic.twitter.com/he0Y3EOoBz

– lindzay Maldonado (@lin_maldonado) August 21, 2019

The big problem is deforestation

The data is very clear and you just have to look at satellites like NASA to see that the fires are not going away in the area, but the worst is under fire. As Fernando Valladares, research professor at CSIC and a member of the Gadea Science Foundation, explained, deforestation is the big problem that can end the iconic forest.

"The data shows that this year there is no particularly important drought, it is even less important than in previous years, and it concerns much more the so-called" queimadas "with the deforestation suffered by the whole region for decades, "says the scientist.

Faced with what one might think, the increase of fires does not have to do with a dry climate but with the multiplication of the burned zones which, in addition, find much more pastures. flammable due to its weakness and composition and less humid areas that promote its spread.

"The" queimadas "are a technique that is repeated in all tropical areas to gain ground in the forest.This often happens in Brazil, but also throughout Southeast Asia. It is true that it is something traditional and known, but the problem comes next, when the fire burned all the land and not even the culture that you want to put in the area, take advantage of it to end to deforestation of space.It is something of vandalism and ends with everything in its path, requiring several years to recover.

Here is a very disturbing fact that shows that the flames are terrible, but the worst comes when they go out. In July 2019, the INPE satellites launched an alert, as they recorded 2,254 kilometers of deforestation during the year (an area slightly larger than that of the island of Tenerife). This means 278% more deforested land than in the same period of the previous year.

As Valladares points out, we will have to wait to see how this wave of fires ravaging the region will end, but there is little promising information because over the past 30 years, there has been a lack of information. Amazon has already lost the power to capture half the tons of CO2 that I've already stored. "It's a scandal and shows us how much we do not take care of a key part of our planet." The worst seems to come: politicians like Bolsonaro do not just want to change course but do not believe that something must change. "

Amazon, the lung of the world

The critique of Valladares is global and the fact that the Amazon is not only essential for Brazil and the surrounding countries, but is also a key point of our global ecosystem. Some data show its importance: the Amazon stores a fifth of the world's generated CO2, generates a fifth of oxygen on the entire planet and its river, one of the most important in the world, pours a fifth of the water. Sweet on earth. "It is a key area, and the worst thing is that we have no other similar element that can replace it," says the expert.

It is still too early to know the final extent of these fires and their impact on the forest itself, but Valladares is rather pessimistic as to what we will find when the flames go through. "These ecosystems need decades to recover from something like that, the fire ends with its vegetation, but also with all that hides and lives with it." To recover what is burning today hui, we should take care of the area for 15 or 20 years, as trees, forest organisms, soil fertility must be recovered … "

The impact on the Earth is already given by the data, but Valladares recalls that not only would this affect pollution, but that the disappearance of this forest would have a very important impact on the seas and on the whole system. . "We do not realize how important it is for everyone.I am very surprised that in April we all cried for a minute for Notre Dame, now this disaster goes unnoticed." the Amazon, nobody could see the French church. " .

The consequences of fires in the Amazon

With regard to the recent future, the scientist is interested in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a key program to combat climate change.

"We were relying on the Amazon to continue to display the same level of performance as in recent decades.When seeing these fires, all indications are that it will lose a very significant portion of its ability to store." CO2 and to generate oxygen. "

Finally, compare the future of these areas to a personal badet that you should leave standing. "Imagine that after the fires, the Amazon needs 15 or 20 years of recovery." At that time, we can not count on its contribution to fight against climate change, the great contribution of the Amazonia should be spread all over the world, and it will be much more difficult to reach the emission and decarbonisation targets set for the next few years, "the expert concludes.

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