Amazon rainforest: burn, baby, burn
The Amazon rainforest is nearly two-thirds of the planet’s lungs – and it has been charred for decades
The numbers coming out of the Amazon are horrific: 74,000 fires have burnt through the rainforest this year, an 84% increase on 2018.It’s only August, though Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro — who proudly reminds environmental activists that he was once called "Captain Chainsaw", apparently for his willingness to dispense with the forest — says it is the time of year when farmers burn back forest to prepare for planting, so no worries there then.But numbers are just numbers. A better way is to see the Amazon rainforest for what it is — nearly two-thirds of the planet’s lungs, which, thanks to slash-and-burn farming practices have been charred for decades and into which are now flowing the toxic fumes from a giant stogie lit by Bolsonaro himself.Some would say blaming Bolsonaro is unfair. After all, the farmers are, like everybody else unlucky enough not to be a One Percenter, just trying to survive.Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and disdain are unhelpful, however. Sadly, we can expect no...
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