The news of the Amazon fires spread across social media like… well… wildfire. People posted pictures of the devastating flames with comments condemning the governments that have allowed the forests to burn, angry at the media silence surrounding the event and fired up about stopping the fires and preventing new ones. However, while the fires in the rainforest rage on, the passions it sparked quickly died out.
Nearly a month later, the fires in the Amazon continue to burn at unprecedented rates. According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), space satellites have detected more than 74,000 fire hotspots in the Amazon region between Jan. and Aug. with over 9,500 forest fires detected in a single week at its peak. These numbers dwarf the figures from previous years where a total of 40,000 were recorded in 2018 for the same time frame.
The practice of starting fires to clear forested regions of the Amazon for agriculture and development has occurred for much longer than the studies on these fires have been conducted, but it is clear that these fires are different than any that have been recorded. According to a National Geographic article, Crystal McMichael, an associate professor at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam, said that “what’s important is that the ancient burning isn’t used to justify modern fires.”
One major factor contributing to this is the recent rollback of legislation protecting the forests. The Brazilian government has instead allowed and even actively encouraged a large increase in agricultural activity and industrial development and has reduced their focus on cracking down on illegal deforestation. Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, along with his administration has been blamed for the fires, after photos of the smoke darkened skies over Brazil prompted an international outcry. Bolsonaro further complicated his position on the fires when he angrily rejected $22 million in Amazon aid that was pledged by various countries at the G7 Summit. He later agreed to accept $12 million in aid from Britain, but his initial opposition to the aid prompted concern nevertheless.
So if the leader of Brazil isn’t willing to take action against the Amazon fires, and the major following of online conservationists and nature enthusiasts has died out, then who will? The answer is unclear. Unless an organized opposition to a crisis like this can be formed, the situation will continue to spiral out of control. The Amazon fires are only a small piece of the looming threat of climate change that faces world leaders. As Greta Thunberg said in her address to the U.K. Parliament, “We have to start treating the crisis like a crisis.” In the meantime, our world leaders need to stop assuming that inaction will fix anything. It won’t, and it’s time to stop pretending that it will.
