New Scientist - USA (2019-08-31)

31 August 2019 | New Scientist | 5

A LARGE increase in the number of

fires in the Amazon rainforest has

led to an international outcry and

a row over the need for action.

Brazilian president Jair

Bolsonaro has rejected an offer

of $22 million from seven of the

world’s richest countries to help

tackle the fires, accusing the G

of colonialism and suggesting the

money be used to reforest Europe

instead. Many environmentalists

also criticised the offer, saying it

was too small.

Despite Brazil’s rejection of the

offer, more money should reach

non-governmental organisations

trying to save the Amazon

rainforest thanks to private

fundraising efforts by individuals

and companies. Leonardo

DiCaprio pledged $5 million, for

instance, and Apple said it would

donate an undisclosed sum.

On Tuesday, the European Space

Agency (ESA) said its satellites had

detected nearly four times as

many fires burning over the past

few weeks compared with the

same period last year: 4000 from

1 to 24 August versus 1100 last year.

There are fires burning in parts

of Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and

Argentina as well as Brazil.

While wildfires do occur

naturally during Brazil’s dry

season, almost all the fires are

thought to have been deliberately

started with the intent of clearing

the land.

Last week, the ESA said the

carbon dioxide released by the

blazes in August was the highest

for the month since 2003. The fires

have also been releasing carbon

monoxide, and thick smoke has

reached cities such as Sao Paolo.

“The past week has been really

concerning in terms of the

Amazon forest, there is no

question about it,” says Erika

Berenguer at the University of

Oxford. Saving the Amazon is

seen as crucial to efforts to limit

global warming and preserve

biodiversity. The rainforest stores

vast amounts of carbon and hosts

a rich variety of species.

The Amazon is also home to

400 groups of indigenous peoples.

These peoples say they are being

subjected to a rising number of

attacks. “But these crimes go

unpunished; they are increasingly

encouraged by our national

leaders, including the President

of Brazil,” Sonia Guajajara,

coordinator of the Association of

Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, said

in a statement. “We are putting

our bodies and our lives on the

line. If we disappear, so will the

world’s tropical forests.” ❚

To learn about tackling a world

of wildfires, see page 20

Fires raging across the Amazon have renewed efforts from some countries, companies

and individuals to protect the rainforest. Michael Le Page and Adam Vaughan report

Amazon fires are on the rise

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