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TellUs: Amazon Fires. Where Does This Leave Us?

Extensive Amazon fires: what, how, how we can help & Indigenous communities

Weeks after extensive fires have swarmed the Amazon forests, we are only now learning about this horrific event. However what exactly is happening and for what reasons? Well hopefully this blog will answer all the questions you have and also inform you on ways to help, as we often feel extremely helpless because halfway around the world. So let us jump into it…



What is happening?

Record breaking numbers and staggering magnitudes of these Amazon fires are now visible by NASA and NOAA satellites, spotting smoke all the way from space. Satellite data provided from the National Institute for Space Research announces an 83% increase in fires compared to 2018. More than 72,000 fires have occurred in the Amazon basin since January 2019, coincidently coinciding with President Bolsonaro coming into power. 

These particularly severe fires have led to Brazil declaring a state of emergency after more than sixteen days since the blazes plagued the country. Some reports state this timeframe was even longer and spanned over three weeks. The state of emergency was declared in the Amazonas state, in its capital Manaus on 9 August. Peru have been on environmental alert since last Friday.

This tragic event became too large to ignore when Brazil’s largest city São Paulo experienced a daytime blackout. Although a staggering 1,700 miles away from the flames, wind blew the smoke over the city for approximately an hour, plunging it into darkness.

It is estimated by express.co.uk that currently 640 million acres of forest has been revenged by this fire. 

How did this fire start?

Wildfires are fairly common in Brazil and all other Amazonian countries within the dry season, typically ranging from April to September. However Christian Poirer, the program director of the non-profit organisations Amazon Watch stated “even in dry season, the Amazon, a humid rainforest doesn’t catch on fire easily”. 

Brazilian Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles tweeted on Wednesday that the fires were exacerbated greatly by “dry weather, wind and heat”. Although this is an important piece of information, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink called the fires “human-induced” due to seasonal agriculture patterns. Brink stated, "it's the best time to burn because the vegetation is dry. [Farmers] wait for the dry season and they start burning and clearing the areas so that their cattle can graze. And that's what we're suspecting is going on down there". The peak of the dry season is still to come in September, she added.

There is no doubt that the fires have started to make way for cattle-ranching, with multiple sources claiming this being done illegally however Brazil is the largest exporter of beef globally. One reason for this is Brazilian beef is cheaper on global markets due to reductions in international tariffs produced by the World Trade Organisation. Plus it is common for cattle farmers to receive government tax breaks. So therefore we cannot place blame solely on those farmers trying to earn a living, we must look at the bigger picture - supply and demand and government greed at the cost of the planet.

President Bolsonaro stated that it is the “season of the queimada”, where farmers use fire to clear land. Therefore this is a very common practice, that has just seemingly gone out of control. So bare that in mind, that this happens yearly. It is estimated also that each cow is said to need 1.2 hectares of pastureland to support it. 80% of deforested areas in the Amazon have been covered by pastures, approximately taking up 90,000,000 hectares of space for pastures alone. 

President Bolsonaro seems to be blaming NGOs for starting the fires due to slashes in government funding. On a Facebook Live on Wednesday the President stated "so, there could be… I'm not affirming it, criminal action by these 'NGOers' to call attention against my person, against the government of Brazil. This is the war that we are facing”.

What can we do?

  • Become a conscious consumer. Eliminate beef and dairy consumption if possible, if not severally limit consumption when able to
  • Spread awareness, share articles and posts to friends and family
  • When it is time to vote, make sure you vote for those who understand the urgency the planet is under and those willing to take bold action
  • Protest. For example the Extinction Rebellion are holding protests outside Brazilian Embassies
  • Support front-line charities (some listed down below)
  • Consider supporting the Rainforest Alliance. They provide forestry initiatives across the world’s most vulnerable tropical forests, including the Amazon. This approach is effective against deforestation and natural forest fires, requires long-term collaboration between the communities and the public and private sectors. Donations here are redirected to Brazilian front-line organisations to defend the Amazon and Indigenous rights. These charities include: COIAB Amazônia (Brazil chapter of pan-Amazon Indigenous leadership), Imaflora (Brazilian sustainable agriculture partner), Instituto Socioambiental, IPAM Amazônia, Imazon and Projeto Saúde e Alegria. 

Indigenous Communities

When discussing this disastrous event we cannot and will not forget about the people that call the Amazon their home and that protect and cherish it. The Indigenous communities residing in the Amazon are facing loss of their homes, sacred lands and even death due to situations out of their control. 4% of the Amazon’s population are Indigenous, equating to about 1.5 million people. Within this there are 377 different ethnic groups and 70 of these are isolated from ‘global’ society. 

The Indigenous people help maintain the Amazon and help it thrive, limiting deforestation. However only 20% of the Amazing basin is labelled as Indigenous protected areas, which is burning from these fires and could be argued whether these laws were being upheld regardless.

10-15% of the Amazon’s forest are ‘anthropogenic’, thanks to the Indigenous communities through rotational farming. So please consider donating to the charities above that protect their rights and laws and keep this in mind when you are voting. 

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money” - Cree Indian Proverb 


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