The green lung of the world is burning – and nobody cares

There are forest fires in the Brazilian rainforest since January. For more than three weeks, the worst and most violent forest fires in years have raged in the southern part of the Amazon Basin. The fires have become so bad that the smoke has reached the metropolis Sao Paulo and caused power outages there. Sao Paulo is 2700 km away.

But why is the rainforest burning?

Well, you can read and hear everywhere, that the dry phase has begun in Brazil and that forest fires are normal in this time period. That is also what the ultra-right-wing president Jairo Bolsonaro said.

But that is not the only reason by far.

Additionally, the dry phase is going to get even worse. The reason for that is the ever-increasing manmade climate change. However. Bolsnaro doensn't believes in the manmade climate change, so he rejects that argument.

Well. Of course. It is correct, that forest fires are normal in this time period. But not to that extent. Since the beginning of this year, there were more than 72.000 forest fires in the Brazilian rainforest. Since the beginning of the forest fire records in 2013, there have never been so many forest fires.

In addition, the forest fires exploded by an incredible 83% compared to the previous year. And here is one thing striking. In January the tenure of president Jairo Bolsonaro has begun. And since the beginning of his tenure, there have never been so many forest fires before.

Coincidence probably...

But maybe these happend because Bolsonaro has followed the wishes of the agricultural industry.  Well, understandable. His friends of the agricultural industry have bought him his presidency. Bolsonaro lets huge area clear away in the rainforest. This area is used for the cultivation of animal feed, which goes into factory farming. In the eyes of this so called president, the rain forest is just source of raw materials.

Another important reason for these huge forest fires is illegal arson. These arsons have done by the local farmers. They also want to use the free areas for cultivation of animal feed.

Bolsonaro claims, that the arsons has been done by environmentalist. As if this claim were not absurd enough. He also has no evidence. But we already know that. It is normal for an ultra-right-wing politican. They like to enounce their opponents and critics and in case of doubt they declare them to be terrorists.

But why is the rainforest so important?

Well, there is a reason why the rainforest is called „the green lung of the world”. The Amazon rainforest stores more than two billion tons of co2 every year and produces one-fifth of the oxygen.

In addition, Amazon rainforest has a variety of species unique in the world.

Well, 60% of the Amazon rainforest are in Brazil. Which means, in the hands of an ultra-right-wing climate change deniers, who has very good friends in the agricultural industry.

Means, by cutting down the rainforest, it will stores less co2, which makes climate change even faster and we lose our air to breathe.

So, the rainforest is without a doubt the „green lung of the world”... and it is burning.

… and nobody cares.

In the end I want to get rid of a few more personal words.

What is happening in the Brazilian rainforest is a catastrophe. But the even bigger catastrophe is that nobody really cares about it. For example in Germany, the typical news talks about lowes taxes, football and of the right parties in Germany. I think their biggest disaster is the falling stock prices of agricultural companies.

The „lung of the world” is burning. But nobody cares. Nobody. Nobody is sad because of that, nobody frustrated.

I mean, the opposite will happen. Try it. Go to streets and tell somebody, that your sad because of the forest fires in the rainforest. The reaction will not go beyond a sardonic laugh.

Well, I really believe in #fridaysforfuture.

But when I can see the reactions of the most people when something happens like the forest fires in the rainforest. Well, then I have to say. Not the destroying of our nature and not the climate change will be the death judgment of mankind. The boundless ignorance will be the death judgment of mankind.

#PrayforAmazonia

Written sources:

https://www.morgenpost.de/vermischtes/article226842027/Brasilien-Amazonas-Regenwald-Lunge-der-Welt-brennt-10-000-Feuer-in-einer-Woche.html

https://www.morgenpost.de/web-wissen/article216258435/Amazonas-Regenwald-Brasilien-Darum-ist-er-so-wichtig-fuers-Klima.html

https://www.mdr.de/wissen/amazonas-regenwald-flammen-waldbrand-rekord-100.html

https://www.zeit.de/wissen/umwelt/2019-08/amazonas-waldbrand-brasilien-regenwald-jair-bolsonaro-umweltpolitik