Infamous for it luscious greenery, the Amazon rainforest is home to thousands of life forms and covers around 40% of South America. Receiving recognition for it’s size and beauty, the Amazon also supplies around 20% of our Earth’s oxygen and has sparked debate among thousands of audiences. Recently, social media has brought into the spotlight the fact that the Amazon is in flames and burning at a dangerous rate. As the internet entered into an uproar concerning the future of the Amazon, millions questioned the future of our Earth and what we can do to aid this crisis. Most of all, the general public raised their concerns about why social media platforms were the reason this headline finally made the front lines. As a collective community, we are rapidly using up the available natural resources and our cars are emitting gas at unprecedented rates. With a blaze that is visible from space, a dangerous amount of the Amazon forest has already been destroyed.   

With this crisis comes the record high rates of carbon dioxide being released, which is found to be one of the leading causes of global warming. As South America faces a record breaking dry season, many countries face the issue of detrimental air quality. Additionally, hundreds of individuals fight to combat the blaze and America has recently sent in various resources and support. Continuing the idea of support, many argue that equipping surrounding regions with the proper tools and finances will help the country maintain the Amazon.

The Amazon is no stranger to fires, but one of the major problems that ecosystems are facing is the issue of deforestation. Globally, around 18 million acres of forest are lost each year due to deforestation leading environmentalists around the world to raise their concerns about what is in store for our planet. As many recognize that this fire is a global crisis, South America still combats the biggest fire the world has seen since 2010.