The Amazon Forest is an icon. Countless children's books, classroom decorations, and event themes are inspired by the breathtaking life that the Amazon supports. One can even find Amazonian creatures represented by Toucan Sam on famous Kellogg cereal boxes. So, if the hand of the Amazon can reach into most of the world's pop culture in a variety of ways, why are the majority of people more concerned with "2-Day shipping", than the fact that one of the most ecologically important places in the world has been burning nonstop for over three weeks? Could this be stopped if people demanded a response from the conservative Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro with the same amount of effort they demand appeasement from Amazon Customer service representatives?
These questions have been answered by the fact that the rainforest has been burning for over three weeks with little to no news coverage until now. Although it is easy to blame distractions on social media or simply just humanity's incredible vanity, it would only allow the crisis to be minimized and forgotten. Additionally, to accept defeat and consider the crisis hopeless would only create an image as dark as the smoke which is turning South American skies black. Somehow though, there is a small beacon of light shining through the clouds smoke.
The beacon is actually a Global Supertanker, hired by Bolivian President Evo Morales. The jet is originally from the U.S. and attempts to keep the flames from encroaching further into Bolivia's portion of the Amazon. Although it has been flying for over a week the fires are still furiously burning. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Brazil's largest state of Amazonas' declared state of emergency will be resolved anytime soon. Meanwhile, the homes of countless indigenous tribes and millions of species are being destroyed more and more with each passing day, despite the Supertanker's best efforts. It is suspected that the lack of response from President Bolsonaro is a result of his conservative policies and desire to open up Amazon land for mining and commercialization. These suspicions are what caused one tribe chief to refer to Bolsonaro's support for deforestation as a form of genocide.
Obviously, the Amazon Forest fires are causing extensive environmental damage to many species as well as humans, but what implications does this have on climate change? The answer is numerous. In short, the massive fires bring about a massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases the Earth's temperature. An increase in the Earth's temperature generally means melting glaciers, longer droughts, and other extreme weather events. As if that wasn't enough, the mass deforestation affects rainfall patterns which has its own set of ripple effects for those living in the Amazon's ecosystem. One cannot forget the extreme air pollution coming from the massive carbon monoxide plume which can be seen from space. Additionally, the general destruction of the ancient land that will take centuries to reforest and recover is yet another factor to consider. Assuming it is not sacrificed for commercial zoning and factory use of course, which will also only continue to pollute the Earth. The only Earth.
While it may seem like few realize that there is only one Earth and it is dying, many other governments and companies are stepping in to donate funds to save the rain forest, even if the G7 Summit Aid was originally rejected. Realistically, the average person cannot donate millions of dollars to Brazil, but the average person can do a number of other things to aid the Amazon.
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Obviously, the Amazon Forest fires are causing extensive environmental damage to many species as well as humans, but what implications does this have on climate change? The answer is numerous. In short, the massive fires bring about a massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases the Earth's temperature. An increase in the Earth's temperature generally means melting glaciers, longer droughts, and other extreme weather events. As if that wasn't enough, the mass deforestation affects rainfall patterns which has its own set of ripple effects for those living in the Amazon's ecosystem. One cannot forget the extreme air pollution coming from the massive carbon monoxide plume which can be seen from space. Additionally, the general destruction of the ancient land that will take centuries to reforest and recover is yet another factor to consider. Assuming it is not sacrificed for commercial zoning and factory use of course, which will also only continue to pollute the Earth. The only Earth.
While it may seem like few realize that there is only one Earth and it is dying, many other governments and companies are stepping in to donate funds to save the rain forest, even if the G7 Summit Aid was originally rejected. Realistically, the average person cannot donate millions of dollars to Brazil, but the average person can do a number of other things to aid the Amazon.
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- Reduce Your Meat Consumption
- Reduce Your Paper/Wood Consumption
- Buy/Look for Rainforest Alliance Certified Products at https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
- Sign Greenpeace's Petition
- Sign Change.org's Petition for Investigation into the Fire's Cause
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