Yes, the Amazon Rainforest is Still Burning
Amazon Fires Satellite Image
September 16, 2019
September 13, 2019. The Amazon forest fire that was first reported on August 4 is still burning today. The Amazon rainforest has been burning for a month. Neighboring cities have been affected because of the massive amounts of smoke that have flooded the skies of São Paulo and left people in darkness.
Fires are not uncommon in this region of South America. There have been fires in the Amazon before, but none as destructive as the one raging today.
The fire has been spreading rapidly. On average it is burning a football field a minute. To put that into perspective, an American football field on average is 100 yards. The fire is now a news headliner but, just a few weeks ago, it was not a global issue. Mariana Gonzalez stated,” I heard about it in my APES class.” “ I have seen it on social media; It was reposted on Instagram and Twitter.”
The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been accused by the international community of not acting efficiently to take control of the fire. As of today, 43,000 Brazilian troops have been sent to battle the fires in the Amazon.
The Amazon is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. It is has existed for over 55 million years and has been a home for different species of animals. It provides natural resources to the world, such as coffee, lumber, meat production, and milk production. The Amazon is responsible for a fifth of the earth’s supply of freshwater. It has also been called “The Carbon Sink” because it soaks up Carbon Dioxide and keeps global temperatures from rising. The water system that is based in the Amazon is essential to the American continent. The Amazon is on the tipping point of destruction with droughts, deforestation, and now this intense fire.
Mrs. Newman, a staff member of Anaheim High, was asked: How important it was to stop this fire? She stated, “So vitally important for so many reasons, The Amazon Rainforest not only houses a ton of species of animals in the trees so now habitats are being destroyed by the fire, but also there are certain medicines from the Amazon forest that could better our health that have yet to be discovered, and those are being destroyed as well, so we need to stop this as soon as possible. And another reason is the trees provide so much of the percentage of oxygen that this earth relies on and without those we are going to be oxygen-deprived.”
CITES
“Natural Resources and Crops.” Amazon Rainforest, 8loucksbr.weebly.com/natural-resources-and-crops.html.
“Water.” Brazil And The Amazon, blogs.nelson.wisc.edu/es112-309-3/water/.
Scutti, Susan. “Here’s What We Know about the Fires in the Amazon Rainforest.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Aug. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/08/23/americas/amazon-wildfires-411/index.html.
Diana Ceballos • Sep 20, 2019 at 2:26 pm
i think this is too sad, because the amazon rain forest is so important for us. I think we should do something for the world. I am agreeing with all that Mrs.Newman said, we need to stop this now.
Alfredo • Sep 20, 2019 at 2:23 pm
I think this article is very interesting. This is because it has to do with an issue that is important to our world. It’s sad, yet interesting how a fire can last so long and destroy so much. It’s also interesting to know that the fire is still going on. It’s a bad thing of course and is something that needs to be stopped ASAP. I agree with Mrs. Newman on the fact that the Amazon houses many useful materials for us humans to use. However, if we don’t stop these fires all of those materials will be gone.
karime velazquez • Sep 20, 2019 at 2:20 pm
I think this is an absolutely good topic to talk about since not much people are talking about it. It should be an addressed topic to talk about especially in school. This is also one of the few news article to talk about this situation.
Richard • Sep 20, 2019 at 1:18 pm
I think Mrs.Newman is right about the amazon rain forest being an important part of the world since it does provide lots of valuable meaning to our world. Without the amazon rain forest, we won’t be much as human beings than we were with it. The forest needs to be saved so we can save our earth and so it won’t burn down with the consequences we will face without it.