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Raging widefire on Amazon rainforest "Lung of the earth" threatens global ecosystem


 Oredola Adeola with agency report

Amazon rainforest,one of the biggest ecosystems in the world, is currently on fire and has been burning for almost three weeks.

Investigations revealed that the wildfires are caused by a combination of droughts and human activity; The intensity and frequency of droughts in turn, have been linked with increases in regional deforestation and anthropogenic climate change.


The rainforest is referred to as the " LUNG OF THE EARTH " because it reportedly produces twenty percent of global oxygen, which makes the wildfire one of the biggest disaster of the century.

The fire is creating so much smoke to the extent that it can be seen from space. This true-color image was captured by the VIIRS sensor onboard NOAA-20, which provides daily, high-resolution visible and infrared images of Earth's atmosphere from across the globe.

Over ten(10) milions species of wildlife, plants and insects known to man have been displaced and found dead to the disaster, suggesting total extinction of the species.

"According to NASA, the Amazon rainforest has been relatively fire-resistant throughout its history due to its moist and humid conditions.

Report showed that the rainforest has in recent times experienced three major droughts, considered “once-in-a-century events” in 2005, 2010, and in 2015-2016.




It was revealed that when trees have less water during droughts, they shed extra leaves or die, leaving leaf litter and detritus on the forest floor. Without a dense canopy to retain moisture, much of the forest’s humidity is lost.

Additionally, the practice of “selective logging” of specific tree species and “slash and burn” agriculture opens the canopy further, which also dries out the understory and forest edges.

The increasing numbers of fires this year have been blamed on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.The President was sworn in January and since then, he has supported developing the Amazon region for farming and mining.

Instead of admitting to have influence the avoidable disaster, Mr Bolsonaro has gone further to claim that it was the time of the year of the “queimada” or burn, when farmers use fire to clear land.

He added: “I used to be called Captain Chainsaw. Now I am Nero, setting the Amazon aflame.”

“I am waiting for the next set of numbers, that will not be made up numbers. If they are alarming, I will take notice of them in front of you"

But the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said the large number of wildfires could not be attributed to the dry season or natural phenomena alone.

The international community have shown concern over increasing deforestation, occasioned by the policy of the Brazilian President. According to the space agency, fires have hit a record number this year, with nearly 73,000 fires detected in 2019. This is a surge of 83 percent over the same period in 2018.

Within the past few days, the INPE satellites have captured more than 9,500 new forest fires as the raging infernos continue to grow.

Researcher Alberto Setzer said: “There is nothing abnormal about the climate this year or the rainfall in the Amazon region, which is just a little below average.

“The dry season creates the favourable conditions for the use and spread of fire, but starting a fire is the work of humans, either deliberately or by accident.”

Meanwhile, the Government of Brazilian state of Amazonas has declared an emergency in the south of the state and in its capital Manaus. Acre, on the border with Peru has also been on environmental alert since Friday.

On Monday, strong winds carried smoke from the Amazon fires more than 1,700 miles and caused a blackout in the city of Sao Paulo.

The Wildfires have also increased in the states of Mato Grosso and Para.

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