Thread by @DrJoeHanson

Fires in the #AmazonRainforest are trending, and like most trending topics people are seeing the forest and not paying attention to the trees.

By which I mean here's a thread that I hope gives more detail and background about what's going on…

A huge number of wildfires are burning in the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Roraima, and Rondonia. They’re burning down irreplaceable rainforest and erasing biodiversity. Fire data: queimadas.dgi.inpe.br/queimadas/port…

Is this an emergency? Yes.

Is it new? Sadly, no…

Fires burn in the Amazon every year during this dry season (the season of “queimada”) It’s an old intersection of humans and the rainforest, and it is unequivocally bad for the planet. What's different in 2019 isn't that the Amazon is on fire, but rather WHY…

This season has seen more fires after several years of decline: More than 74,000 fires from Jan-Aug and almost 10,000 this week. We know that because we continue to fund science that monitors our planet from space… YAY SPACE SCIENCE!
bbc.com/news/world-lat…

But according to NASA, if we look back 15 years this year’s fire rates are at or below average. This really means in past years rates were very bad, not that this year’s rates are good, but it's important context… we were on right track until recently
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145464/…

Are #AmazonRainforest fires due to climate change? Climate change-induced droughts can *enable* wildfires, but fires are usually set intentionally by humans to clear land for agriculture, mining, logging etc. They’re frequently set on indigenous lands. Don’t ignore the why (us)

Here is just one case to prove the above: An indigenous woman standing in front of an Amazon wildfire apparently set by outsiders trying to ruin or claim their land. This is a tragedy

https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1164180958666469376

Why are fire numbers so bad this year? Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has enabled groups that seek to exploit the Amazon rainforest by incentivizing deforestation. Deforestation has risen under his “watch”
theguardian.com/world/2019/jul…

President Bolsanaro also rejects and questions data from his own country’s environmental scientists and sacks those who disagree with him
bbc.com/news/world-lat…

It does not have to be like this. It is possible to farm without destroying forests. We made a video about how farming practices can coexist with forests on @HotMessPBS

Drought-related fires (set by humans) are negating much of our progress in reducing deforestation in the Amazon. We can’t save trees with one hand and burn them with the other and expect to stop climate change
nature.com/articles/s4146…

Wildfires in the rainforest are nothing new. In my view, what we are seeing this year is only unique in its corruption and its urgency.

We can not save our future if we can not save the Amazon

Finally: If you're mad everyone paid attention to Notre Dame burning but no one’s paying attention to the Amazon, remember everyone had their phone out sharing images of that burning cathedral.

So don't wait for "the media" to talk about it. Make the world talk about it.

I'm glad so many people have found this thread and are raising awareness about preserving the Amazon rainforest.

If you want to learn about why the Amazon is not just the lungs of the planet, but also part of its heart, please watch this video I made

It's awesome that so many people have found this thread! Remember that burning of Amazon is part of a long history of governments trying to occupy this wild space and displace indigenous peoples. People like @Revkin have been covering it for decades:

https://twitter.com/Revkin/status/1164373609470681088