As the Amazon, the lungs of our Earth, currently burns with an intensity far surpassing the infamously devastating fires that took place in 2019, the world watches in unsettling silence — a dangerous reflection of our diminishing sense of climate urgency at a time when critical elections could shape the future of our planet.
In the summer of 2019, the Amazon experienced nothing less than a blazing inferno. 72,843 fires — an 80% increase from the year before — destroyed at least 103,079 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest, killing 11,514 plant species and 3,079 animals. Large regions of lush forest were cleared to plant soy or graze cattle and burning was proven to be a quick and cheap way for this to happen. However, these fires were rarely managed and tended to get out of control as a result. Since then, Jair Bolsonaro — a Brazilian president who opened up the Amazon for business by abolishing conservation measures, reducing spending for environmental agencies and crippling Indigenous land rights — has been replaced by leftist Lula da Silva, who, while far from perfect for Brazil, has been better for the Amazon. However, this year the region is suffering its most deadly drought since 1950, with once gushing tributaries now plunging to hauntingly low levels, endangering the lives of animals and people’s livelihoods. But it hasn’t stopped there.
This relentless drought has paved the way for catastrophic fires to ravage Brazil, consuming vast stretches of the Amazon and the Pantanal — the world's largest tropical wetlands — while engulfing cities in smoke. Unlike today, in 2019 there was public outcry all over social media about the wildfires, whereas current trends on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram appear to revolve around celebrity feuds or upcoming film releases. Regrettably, the plight of suffocating orangutans no longer makes the cut. Why should it? It doesn’t affect us, right?
Climate change is no longer a looming threat — it is a present reality, escalating in severity with each passing year. We are observing a surge in extreme weather phenomena in both frequency and intensity, and the Amazon basin is just one example of this. Rising sea levels are impacting nations across the globe, causing coastlines to flood and worsening the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes and heat waves. The resulting climate refugees will inevitably lead to widespread human suffering and heightened geopolitical conflict.
Ironically, the very solution that could save us now teeters precariously on a Bunsen burner, consumed by the very crisis it once shielded us from. The rainforest has long served as one of our most essential buffers against climate change; therefore, it is our duty to restore it and prevent its further destruction. How? Let’s do what we do best — talk about it. This year stands as our most critical juncture, with at least 70 countries having held or are poised to undergo political elections. We must garner attention for this environmental crisis and pressure new or returning politicians to propel it at the forefront of their agendas.
We must acknowledge that these politicians and large transnational corporations hold real power to affect meaningful change. They are the ones who enact policies that can either secure or jeopardize the future of our planet. So unless a TikTok exposé on why Sabrina Carpenter hates Camila Cabello can save our rainforests, let’s redirect our attention. If celebrity outrage can make headlines, it’s time ours does too.
