ENVIRONMENT PSYCHOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT
The "lungs of the planet" are burning.

As thousands of fiery infernos rage across the Amazon rainforest, tropical vegetation, trees,

and the fauna they house are being razed. Since August 15, more than 9,500 new forest fires

have started across Brazil, primarily in the Amazon basin.

This year so far, scientists have recorded more than 74,000 fires in Brazil. That's nearly

double 2018's total of about 40,000 fires. The surge marks an 83% increase in wildfires over

the same period of 2018, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research reported. The largest

state in Brazil, Amazonas, declared a state of emergency on Monday.

Already, 2019 has the highest number of fires observed in a single year since researchers

began keeping track in 2013 — and there are still four months to go.

As the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon plays a crucial role in keeping our planet's

carbon-dioxide levels in check. Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen

back into the air in their process of photosynthesis. This is why the Amazon, which covers

2.1 million square miles, is often referred to as the "lungs of the planet": The forest produces

20% of the oxygen in our planet's atmosphere.

Typically, the Amazonian dry season runs from July to October, peaking in late September.

Wetter weather during the rest of the year minimizes the risk of fires at other times. But

during the dry season, blazes can spark from natural sources, like lightning strikes. Farmers

and loggers also purposefully set fire to the rainforest to clear swaths of the Amazon for

industrial or agricultural use.

The fires raging in the Amazon now have widespread effects on the rest of Brazil. The smoke

plumes from the blazes spread from the state of Amazonas to the nearby states of Pará and
Mato Grosso, and even blotted out the sun in São Paulo — a city more than 2,000 miles

away.

How is the Amazon rainforest a carbon sink?

The Amazon is emitting more carbon than it can absorb, in what scientists say is a disturbing

new signal that the Earth may be reaching a tipping point on climate change.

A study recently published in the journal Nature suggests that fire and deforestation, along

with warmer temperatures and markedly drier conditions, mean the world’s largest rainforest

is gradually losing its ability to be a carbon sink.

The impact of changes to the Amazon reach far beyond South America. For generations, the

rainforest has stored an immense amount of carbon in its soil and enormous trees, playing an

important role in keeping the global environment stable.

“When this study shows that the carbon budget from a believed carbon sinking area is

actually a source of 0.3 billion tons of carbon per year, it sounds the alarm bells,” said Lucas

Domingues, an environmental scientist

Threats Facing The Amazon Rainforest

1. Ranching & Agriculture:

Rainforests around the world are continuously cut down to make room for raising crops,

particularly soy, and cattle farming. This has been exacerbated in recent years, as many parts

of the world have emerged from poverty such as in Asia, Africa, and South America.

2. Commercial Fishing:

Amazon river fish are the main source of food and income for many Amazonian people. The

amount of fish needed to feed a growing population, however, may lead to over-fishing,
especially if large industries are harvesting fish in order to export to foreign markets. In many

parts of the Amazon, large, industrial trawlers armed with gill nets scoop up entire schools of

fish in an entirely unsustainable attempt to bring food to market.

3. Bio-Piracy & Smuggling:

People take plants and animals from the Amazon to sell abroad as pets, food, and medicine.

Foreigners do not share the enormous profits from these products with the country of origin,

and trade in these animals leads to declines in wild populations, normally affecting animals

already threatened by habitat destruction and pollution.

4. Poaching:

Many people illegally hunt animals to sell as food and raw materials for finished products.

Animals, like the giant Amazon river turtle, the “Paiche,” and the Amazon Manatee are

vanishing from the wild.

5. Damming:

Large hydroelectric projects, funded by international aid and development organizations like

the World Bank, have led to widespread forest loss. Besides inundating large tracts of

rainforest (dams in the Amazon are generally ecologically inefficient because large tracts of

forest are flooded due to the flatness of the basin) and killing off local wildlife, the dams have

the effect of destroying aquatic habitats and affecting fish populations, displacing indigenous

peoples, and adding carbon to the atmosphere

6. Logging:

Hardwood trees provide wood for furniture, building materials, and charcoal. Without trees to

hold it in place, soil washes into the river and smothers fish. Working in remote forest areas,
loggers often use false permits, ignore limitations of legal permits, cut species protected by

law, and steal from protected areas and indigenous lands.

7. Mining:

Many everyday items are made from minerals mined in the Amazon basin. Fish die when

miners wash harmful chemicals and sediments into rivers. Mining operations often

necessitate the construction of access roads into remote areas, enabling loggers, poachers, and

ranchers access to lands otherwise inaccessible.

Here are a few incredible facts about the Amazon rainforest or the Lungs of the Planet’:

1. The extremely rich ecosystem of the Amazon houses around 40,000 plant species,

1,300 bird species, 2,200 types of fish, 427 types of mammals, 430 amphibian

species, 380 reptile species and a staggering 2.5 million different types of insects. It

shelters 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. One in five of all species of bird and

fish live in the Amazon.

2. 2. Around 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes live in the Amazon rainforest.

Around 50 of them have their own language and culture and have never had contact

with the outer world. They are nomadic hunters and gatherers and constantly need to

move around.

3. Some of the animals living in the Amazon rainforest are bizarre and deadly. From

pink dolphins and green anacondas to poison dart frogs, bullet ants, electric eels and

flesh-eating piranhas, some of these creatures can shock you with their abilities.
4. Around 137 species of plants, animals and insects become extinct every single day in

the Amazon because of deforestation and cattle ranching that have killed vast sections

of the forest.

5. The Amazon River which runs through the Amazon rainforest is the world’s second

longest river after the Nile. It is also the world’s largest by water volume. The

Amazon River comprises hundreds of waterways which stretch across 6,840 km, and

has 17 tributaries which drain 55 million gallons of water every second into the

Atlantic Ocean.

6. When it rains on the Amazon, it takes around 10 minutes for the water to reach the

forest floor. This is because the forest is so thick that the ground remains permanently

in darkness. Only 1% of the sunlight makes it to the forest ground as well making it

completely dark.

7. The Sahara Desert impacts the Amazon rainforest to a great extent by supplying

phosphorus which is essential for fertilization. Dust containing phosphorus blows in

from the Sahara via wind over the Atlantic Ocean and helps the rainforest flourish.

8. Amazon has lost 20% of its size is recent years because of deforestation to create the

Trans-Amazonian Highway. A drastic amount of vegetation is cleared constantly for

cattle grazing and crop production 1.5 acres are lost every second. Experts predict that

the rainforest could be completely depleted in just 40 years if no action is taken to

solve the problem.

9. The origin of 80% of the varieties of food we get across the world origin in the

Amazon rainforest. More than 3000 types of fruit which are grown in the Amazon are

edible. These include oranges, lemons, avocados, coconuts, grapefruits, mangoes, and

pineapples.
10. The Amazon rainforest is a carbon sink it absorbs carbon dioxide and stores it. So, it

is a major player in maintaining carbon levels globally.

How we can conserve it

It is humbling to think how little attention we give to the Amazon, despite its importance to

the stability of the Earth's climate and the incredible array of wildlife it supports. So although

the Amazon may not be in your backyard, it should be on your mind. Here are some ways

you can help protect it from afar.

1. Let your voice be heard. Educate your family and friends about the importance of the

Amazon, which is home to 10% of the known species on Earth. Then ask them to speak out

for protecting the Amazon. Many people living in the Amazon witness environmental

destruction that impacts their lives and their well-being, through no fault of their own, but

they often lack the means and support to speak out against this.

2. Become a discerning consumer. Ask how your food and other purchases have been

produced. Is your furniture, for example, made of wood from the Amazon? And, if so, is the

wood sustainably harvested and certified to prove it? Many of the world’s most endangered

species live in forests. One of the best ways to protect forests like the Amazon so that wildlife

thrive is to buy products that have the FSC® label.

3. Reduce your use of fossil fuels, and your impact on the planet. The less fossil fuels used,

the less impact climate change will have on the Amazon and other important natural areas.

Support and demand renewable energy be part of the grid in your area. Turn off electric

appliances when you’re not using them. Choose green energy providers for your household,

or ask your provider for available options. Take public transport or ride your bike to work.