How will we breathe without the lungs of the earth?

5 minute read

The Amazon rainforest is home to +10% of the biodiversity known to humankind. This jungle is mainly located in Brazil (60%), Peru (13%), and Colombia (10%), and extends into other countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Together, these 7 million km² absorb 25% of the Earth’s CO2 emissions. At least, that was the case until last month when uncontrollable fires broke out.

Since 2023, the impact of climate change has already been felt with high temperatures and the most severe drought in the history of the Amazon River, the longest river in the world. This year, the drought arrived two months earlier, halting the region’s maritime trade, and some areas declared a state of emergency due to water shortages. Climate change brought something new this year: a wave of wildfires across Latin America.

In Brazil, over 38,000 wildfires ravaged nearly 57,000 km² (around 1% of the Amazon) in August. The situation continues to worsen, as, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research, nearly 48,000 fires have been recorded in the past month, forcing entire districts to evacuate, and destroying protected areas. In some cases, the fires have even reached the outskirts of cities, like in Brasília, the capital.

In Bolivia, the situation has overwhelmed the local government, leading to a national state of emergency, and authorities have already requested international assistance. By mid-September, the country had lost around 40,000 km² of forest and was battling over 3,000 heat sources.

In Peru and Colombia, the outlook is not much different. In September, the National Emergency Operations Center of Peru reported 384 wildfires across all departments encompassing the Peruvian jungle. The National Forest and Wildlife Service reported that in 2024 alone, more than 700 km² have already been destroyed. Colombia has lost 440 km² in 12 of its 32 departments.

The story is the same across all the countries responsible for protecting the Amazon, and even some others like Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina have been affected by smoke from the burning countries. In all the nations fighting the fires, heartbreaking stories are heard of lifeless animals that couldn’t escape or are found dying, firefighters and armed forces exhausted and lacking resources to keep responding to calls, and Indigenous communities forced to leave their lands.

Unfortunately, our governments have not been up to the task of addressing the emergency. Some, like Brazil and Peru, have blamed agriculture for causing the fires to clear land, while others, like Colombia, point to guerrillas for generating the chaos. Even the media initially failed to give the necessary attention to the environmental disaster. In the face of inaction, nonprofit organizations and private institutions are the ones fighting to spread the word and provide the help we need.

How can I help?

If you weren’t familiar with the situation, the reality exposed in this article might be hard to digest. Fortunately, there are several ways you can help. You can start by researching about the current wildfires and sharing the information with your network (start with this article!). If you want to act now, I invite you to support the efforts of all the nonprofits who are fighting on-site.

WWF 

International non-profit non-governmental organization that works to change the current trajectory of environmental degradation and promote a fairer and healthier future for people and nature. One of their action pillars in the country is the conservation and restoration of biomes and their biodiversity. Currently, the offices of Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia are using their resources to help the crisis in their respective countries.

How it’s taking action: Donations will support the formation of brigades, rescue operations for animals, and the recovery of communities and ecosystems affected by the wildfires.

Donations: Through their websites, donations can be made with a credit card. 

Perú por la Naturaleza

Digital community that aims to involve all Peruvians in the conservation of our protected natural areas and the protection of our Amazon. This fundraising platform, supported by management and regulatory organizations such as the Ministry of Environment (MINAM) through the Fund for the Promotion of Protected Natural Areas of Peru (Profonanpe).

How it’s taking action: Through the platform, several organizations have joined forces like Profonanpe, Conservation International Peru, WWF Peru, and Wildlife Conservation Society Peru to contribute to the attention of the environmental emergency by acquiring safety equipment (forest jackets, pants, helmets, safety, glasses, etc.) for local firefighters and other equipment such as chainsaws, motor pumps and hoses and to support the networks working with the affected communities.

Donations: Through its website donations can be made with a credit card and Paypal.

Rainforest Foundation US

Its mission is to support Indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in Peru, Brazil, Guyana, and Mesoamerica in their efforts to protect their environment and uphold their rights by assisting them in:

• Securing and controlling the natural resources necessary for their long-term well-being and managing these resources in ways that do not harm their environment, violate their culture, or compromise their future; and​
• Developing the means to protect their individual and collective rights and to obtain, shape, and control basic services from the state.

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How it’s taking action: Rainforest Foundation US provides the tools, training, and resources to directly support legal defense, land titling, and monitoring. We also partner and collaborate with Indigenous peoples and local communities to strengthen their organizations. This enables them—the best defenders of their rainforests—to continue to manage their lands with the knowledge and care they have sustained for thousands of years.

Donations: Through its website donations can be made with a credit card, PayPal, check, and crypto.

Amazon Watch

Is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and promote the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Its action pillars are to stop the Amazon’s destruction, fight for climate justice, and massify indigenous-led solutions.

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How it’s taking action: Amazon Watch created the Amazon Fire Response Fund to directly address the current crisis. With this fund, it will help distribute protective equipment, support indigenous firefighting teams, and deliver emergency food supplies.

Donations: Through its website donations can be made with a credit card and PayPal.

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Sources

ABC News, September 14. Brazil experiencing record-breaking wildfires as persistent drought affects the Amazon rainforest. https://abcnews.go.com/International/brazil-experiencing-record-breaking-wildfires-persistent-drought-affects/story?id=113688151

Associated Press, Septembre 17. At least 15 dead since July and thousands of hectares scorched as wildfires sweep Peru. https://apnews.com/article/peru-wildfires-amazon-dead-c96e54eac09cfd25b5baaa2863660901

El País. Septembre 13. Bolivia lucha contra más de 3.000 focos de incendio y suspende las quemas controladas de tierras. https://elpais.com/america/2024-09-13/bolivia-lucha-contra-mas-de-3000-focos-de-incendio-y-suspende-las-quemas-controladas-de-tierras.html

Forbes, September 27. Más de 44.000 hectáreas de bosque han sido consumidas este mes en Colombia por incendios. https://forbes.co/2024/09/27/actualidad/44-000-hectareas-de-bosque-han-sido-consumidas-por-incendios

The Financial Time, September 13. Wildfires sweep Amazon as Brazil suffers worst drought on record. https://www.ft.com/content/bdcdd185-73ba-411b-93f0-1a3b3b879834

Independent, Septembre 18. Worst drought on record is drying up Amazon rivers as wildfires rage on. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/brazil-wildfire-drought-news-b2615215.html

LA Times, August 3. La Amazonía vuelve a estar en una situación de sequía grave, y antes de lo esperado. https://www.latimes.com/espanol/internacional/articulo/2024-08-03/la-amazonia-vuelve-a-estar-en-una-situacion-de-sequia-grave-y-antes-de-lo-esperado

MapBiomas Monitor do Fogo, September 27. Cicatrizes do fogo. https://plataforma.brasil.mapbiomas.org/monitor-do-fogo

National Geographic Society, August 20. Amazon Deforestation and Climate Change. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/amazon-deforestation-and-climate-change/

Rainforest Foundation US. Septembre 27. Amazon Rainforest Fires. https://rainforestfoundation.org/engage/brazil-amazon-fires/

The New York Times, Septembre 17. The fires that could reshape the Amazon.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/17/climate/the-fires-that-could-reshape-the-amazon.html