By Lizzy Lankford
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —
Not only does the Amazon Rainforest account for around 6% of oxygen and about 17% of Earth’s freshwater supply, it also plays a major role in two global cycles. The Amazon greatly affects South American water and carbon cycle.
When a tree burns, it releases carbon back into the atmosphere. By burning the forest, those trees are no longer holding carbon, causing it to be released at a faster rate, contributing to climate change. Due to a lack of moisture circulating in the atmosphere, certain areas could dry up.
Daniela Granato de Souza, a Brazillian native with a PhD in the Amazon basin, tells UATV, “When a tree dies the wood decay process will give the carbon back to the atmosphere, this is natural of course, but when we add the human activities to this context it just makes things worst.”
According to an Earth Science professor at The University of Arkansas, most of the deforestation that has happened took place in the 20th century, and while these fires aren’t new, the number of areas affected has decreased in the last couple of decades. A lot of the deforestation is happening along the eastern and southern Amazon basin where the climate is drier.
Along with this, most of the fires occur in areas where the forest has already been deforested and turned into agricultural land for soy and cattle farmers. However, Amazonian soil isn’t fertile enough to fully sustain agricultural land and needs the organics that usually get trapped in the forest’s canopy.
Around 400 tribes call the rainforest home, leaving indiginous people displaced as the flames destroy their homes. These fires also stem from illegal mining operations. Brazil is rich in gold, niobium and other minerals that miners are interested in selling.
“I don’t believe the forest is safe, we are far away from that. I believe the forest is in dangerous, it has always been,” De Souza said.