A burning Amazon and what it really means for the future climate

By Aarushi Phalke ‘20

Fires in the Amazon rainforest have become a common occurrence and over the summer, many public figures took to social media to show their concern over what this could mean for the planet.

These mostly intentional fires cause many concerns, the first being the loss of biomass. The fires release a lot of carbon into the atmosphere and destroy ecosystems.

On Sept. 13, 2019, data from OMPS revealed aerosols and smoke from fires over South America. The image was created at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Courtesy of NASA/NOAA and Colin Seftor.

However, it is also important to pay attention to what parts of the Amazon are being cleared. 

“The Amazon rainforest doesn’t just start as a jungle. There is a boundary between dry land and biodiverse rainforest,” explained Alex Williamson, Catlin Gabel School Palma Seminar Climate Change Instructor and former environmental lawyer.

Most of the land that is burning is dry, meaning the fires are harder to control even though they are deemed as less important than the dense tropical forest. 

While most photos of the Amazon focus on a bright green forest on fire, the burning of drier areas, such as ecosystems in Bolivia, gathers less attention. 

“We don’t really tend to care about these marginal ecosystems. We keep shifting the forest canopy. You need this drier edge ecosystem to support the jungle further west,” Williamson stated.

These dry areas are important for maintaining the jungle in addition to the cycle of evapotranspiration. Water that evaporates from plants in the dense rainforest allows for rains that maintain the rainforest environment. 

The science behind these fires is important to pay attention to, even though the situation might seem hopeless. 

“Don’t tune out because the problem is overwhelming. The more you care, the more you vote,” said Williamson.