Global warming is knocking at our doors and it is time we took the issue seriously. It is imperative that we understand what is happening in the Amazon forests and how it is going to impact all other nations.

A recent report claimed that over 906 thousand hectares of forest within the Amazon rain forest were lost to fires in 2019. According to NASA, this year’s fires are more intense than those reported in previous years. It added that parts of the Amazon are more prone to fire today because hundreds of years ago farmers regularly set the undercarriage alight.

According to the National Geographic, the Amazon did not evolve to burn, but for centuries, fire has been used to clear space in the rainforest for agricultural crops, from soybeans to palm to cattle, and deforestation often leads to fire.

In Brazil — which controls the majority of the vast forest — regulations were put into place over a decade ago to curb the expanse of deforestation, but these rules have been loosened by the new administration, and consequently the number of fires are increasing.

While we in Pakistan are far away from the Amazon, I think this should help us put things in perspective in our country. We need to plant more trees and request the government to take swift action against deforestation.

Parvez
Turbat

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2019