Catastrophe in the Amazon

The Amazon Rainforest, situated in South Americacomprising nine South American nations, is the world’s largest rainforest and covers about two million miles of land. Among the nine countries, Brazil occupies 60 percent of the entire rainforest. The lush green forest is home to a large number of species of plants and animals and nearly 500 indigenous communities live in the Amazon. The rainforest can create its own weather and influence the climate of the world. Ithas beentermed as “the lungs of the world”because it produces around 20 percent of the world’s oxygen. The rainforest is thought to act as a carbon basin and readily absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The Amazon river is the second largest river next to the Nile. Its winding waterways cover roughly 4000 miles, according to the U.S Geological Survey. It also receives the highest amount of rainfall. More than 40,000 plant species have been found in the Amazon. It is home to 10 percent of the world’s species, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Apart from plants and animals, a number of indigenous communities dwell here and persevere to protect their homeland from encroachers. Rare species of plants and animals as well as the indigenous communities are being increasingly threatened and many are on the verge of extinction. Continuous deforestation, illegal logging, oil and gas exploration and cattle ranching are the threats faced by the green Amazon rainforest. Vast stretches of land have been cleared for cattle ranching and farming. Cattle ranching has led to 80 percent of current deforestation, clearing about 4, 50,000sq.km of land in the rainforest. Cattle ranching and soy cultivation are often linked as soy replaces cattle pasture, pushing farmers farther towards land clearing. Increase in market demand necessitates increase in supply, thereby farmers have always prevailed in clearing the forest for farming and for creating grazing plots. Clearing requires felling of trees which is not substituted. Deforestation has caused multiple hazards in the rainforest. Fires are often used to clear pasture and deforested areas by the farmers during the dry winter months, however, there have been 28,000 wildfires in the month of August, this year,more than any August since 2010,burning large parts of the rainforest, killing a large number of plants, animals and rare species. The National Institute for Space Research in Brazil claimed that satellite data showed an 84 percent increase in fires compared to the same period in 2018.

When the news about the fires became public, half of the forest was in ruins. The fires that destroyed the Amazon rainforest,enveloped cities in Brazil with smog, releasing harmful gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.Horrifically, the fires also spread towards the protected indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest. The Awa community,“the easternmost”, inaccessible/remote people in the Amazon are the most threatened in the world.Other endangered indigenous communities include the Nunaks, two thirds of whom have died in the 20 years since contact, meanwhile Peru’s uncontacted Indians are under threat from oil companies and loggers along with the Indians of Raposa-Serra do Sol, whose land is under siege by violent rice farmers. An Awa man’s words, “In the city we feel the same insecurity that outsiders do in the forest”, reflects thepathos and desperation for survival. The indigenous communities continue to live under the constant threat of life and death.

In Brazil environmentalist and students protested against the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for his contentionthat the non-governmental agencies set fire in the Amazon “to damage his government’s image after he cut funding.”Bolsonaro also refused help from the G20 countries. His critics argue that while he claims the Amazon to be Brazil’s, yet there is no inclination towards protecting it. Indigenous claims to their ancestral lands are rejected because the protected reserves have been burnt and they have been pushed out of their rightful homes and kept in packed reserves where they are in direct confrontation with the farmers. It is believed that the President is also keen in selling the rainforest to corporates to set up industries and factories who back the decision. On the other hand, it is said that the tribes have settled internal disputes with other tribes and have come together to stand against what is perceived as an existential threat.

A decree waspassed recently that there will be no forest fire in the next 60 days, however, the question remains, what after that? Will the forest be cleared or will it be saved? Sustainable development teaches us to use our resources viably so that future generations can also enjoy the benefits of these resources, are we following this principle? In the Paris Summit for Climate Action, scientists have claimed that even after nations-states arewilling to comply with means to enable environment protection, the earth’s temperature will rise up to 3⁰-4⁰ C, which is hazardous for the survival of mankind on planet earth. The more we plant trees the more are thechances that the earth will be saved. The Amazon rainforest needs to be replenished, the Aboriginal tribes and the diverse nature of the rainforest should be protected. Student initiatives and corporate funding can increase the chances of survival on earth. The tribes should be treated as humans, education should be made available to them, so that they can participate more effectively to preserve theplanet. Animals should be protected by laws and legislations and, conversely, farmers who are causing increased fires in the Amazon should be penalized for their activity. Effective administration and environment protection laws should be made for the better treatment of those whoare indigenous to the Amazon. Killingof tribes or the aboriginals could be detrimental for the environment as well as they embody the ultimate saviors of the nature. Excessive production of goods will lead to overutilization of resources,who then would purchase them if people die of global warming?  Forests are a renewable form of resource but it takes time to replenish itself depending upon the climate structure.Therefore, it is imperative to use biodegradable products like jute bags and decrease the consumption of paper as with escalation in demand for paper, deforestation will increase.  The time to preserve nature in an inclusive sense through effective action has arrived.

Debarati Ganguly

Intern

AGA