On Aug. 19, Sao Paulo, Brazil, experienced a blackout due to extreme amounts of smoke produced by the fires in the Amazon rainforest. Earlier this year, a fire destroyed the majority of France’s historic Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which got an immediate reaction of mourning from global media.
However, there was no immediate widespread media attention brought to the Amazon fires, which led people to storm social media with messages full of anger and concern. Once Brazil officially announced the news of the fires to the public, BBC News released an article covering the severity of the fires. Afterward, many other news outlets followed suit.
According to outspoken activists and political figures, the cause of the fires are the a result of policies not being enforced by Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsanaro. Since Bolsanaro became president of Brazil in January, the rate of deforestation has increased. BBC News discovered a “sharp drop in fines being handed out for environmental violations.” According to the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, the increase in fires is related to the increase of deforestation.
Many of Harding’s own have expressed their concern for the Amazon and the state of the Brazilian government. Jeremy Daggett, director of the Chile-based HULA program, frequently takes students to Brazil where they are able to experience the Amazon firsthand. Daggett said a conversation with his friend from Brazil brought attention to the fact that the main concern is the Brazilian government’s lack of environmental protection policies.
“The existence of the fire is not the main issue, rather it’s the extent to which the fire has been allowed to grow and the government’s lack of response to it, especially in its containment role it normally plays,” Daggett said.
Daggett said that the Harding community could help by staying informed and asking questions. Daggett also encouraged students to be aware of how their daily actions and consuming habits affect the environment and to fight for change when they see it is needed.
Deforestation has been popular among farmers seeking to clear land for cattle ranches and loggers fueled by the demand for timber products. The World Wide Fund for Nature, an organization seeking to be a voice for the environment, investigated 13 logging companies in the Amazon, 12 of which had broken laws for safe logging practices.
BBC News said that Bolsanaro has neglected to enforce an ethical stance on the protection of the environment, allowing loggers and farmers to carry out illegal and reckless deforestation.
On Aug. 28, Bolsanaro announced a 60-day ban on setting fire to any clear land, as reported by CNN. He also accepted the aid of the Chilean government but refused a $22 million offer from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Students from last spring’s HULA trip felt the impact of the disaster happening in Brazil. Junior Madison Thurber spoke of her experience in the Amazon, saying it was “so easy to see God’s hand in its beautiful and complex creation. Everything there is connected to every other thing [which seems] impossible.”
HULA student Jade Turner, studied abroad last spring and said, “I never knew how important the Amazon is, not only to the people and animals who live there, but to the entire world.”
According to BBC News, the Amazon is home to 1 million indigenous people and 3 million types of wild-life and exotic plants, and it will need anywhere from 20-40 to regenerate from the fires.
Yadvinder Malhi, professor at Oxford University, said with 80% of the Amazon rainforest intact, it is still possible to reform the policies of the Brazilian government and our own habits.