As Amazon Wildfires Blaze, Deforestation May Be to Blame
The Amazon Rainforest, known as the world’s largest rainforest and “the lungs of the world”, has been undergoing unprecedented suffering in recent months as wildfires rage out of control across the region. However, it would be misguided to label these fires natural or accidental in origin. Scientists and environmental activists point to deforestation and agricultural practices as the root cause of the fires sweeping through the Amazon.
In the first half of the year alone, over 74,000 fires have been recorded across Brazil, the majority of which have taken hold in the Amazon region itself. Although the UN’s highest climate change authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has described the Amazon as one of the most “vulnerable yet resilient ecosystems”, this wave of extreme forest fires has put this at risk as well as the vital ecological services it provides.
What is Deforestation?
Deforestation is the conversion of forest land for other purposes, such as agriculture, plantations, settlement and infrastructural development. The consequences of deforestation include a harm to the biodiversity, degradation of soil and the loss of the vital carbon sink that forests provide.
In Brazil, the majority of deforestation occurs due to the expansion of both legal and illegal activities within the Amazon Rainforest. This includes the clearance of land to construct roads and highways, while one of the primary drivers of deforestation has been the increase in logging, farming and ranching, in order to effectively increase the arable land available for agriculture.
Impacts of Deforestation
The effects of deforestation in the Amazon are far-reaching and deeply concerning. One of the most critical impacts it has on the environment is the destruction of the forests carbon sink. Trees act as sponges, absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which if not curbed, can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, the destruction of vast swathes of forest land affects the livable habitats of many native species, threatening the biodiversity of the region as a large vast areas of deforestation reduce the available protected land for these species to thrive.
It has been found that deforestation in the Amazon has also fundamentally changed local weather patterns, inhibiting water circulation and causing longer periods of droughts and hotter temperatures which are then more prone to cause fire outbreaks.
Recent estimates from the World Wildlife Fund have estimated that nearly 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has already been destroyed, and at this rate of destruction there are further grave implications for the ecological functioning and resilience of the region.
How Are the Wildfires Being Combatted?
The Brazilian government has been heavily criticized over its response to the fires, having drawn criticism from the United Nations and a gust of international condemnation.
In response, the government has been deploying Brazil’s military airforce in an effort to assist in the task of firefighting, while the Environmental Minister Ricardo Salles has offered an “anti-firefighter plan” to tackle the fires in the region.
In addition, some international organizations such as the World Economic Forum’s “1t.org” initiative have been working with local governments to launch awareness campaigns and support community initiatives to protect and improve the region.
Legislation to Tackle Deforestation
One of the most important steps in combating Amazon deforestation will be to address the underlying cause, by introducing legislation to both prevent deforestation from occurring and promote the restoration of degraded land.
In April of this year, the Brazilian government released a “Rights of Nature” law, which grants certain legal rights to natural elements, a move which has been hailed as an important step towards protecting the environment.
A further attempt to tackle deforestation in the Amazon is being undertaken by the Amazon Fund, which has been transferring public contributions from the public, private and philanthropic sectors, which seeks to foster sustainability projects in the Amazon.
The continuous destruction of the Amazon Rainforest has far-reaching consequences for both the environment, local communities and wider global climate change. Deforestation is a primary cause of this destruction, contributing to the current series of Amazon wildfires which have been consuming the region.
Nevertheless, the introduction of legislation and public awareness initiatives also offer hope that the international community is slowly coming together to combat this tragic destruction of one of the world’s most important habitats and ecosystems.
