Brazil – The LCR

One of the biggest stories of 2019…

The Amazon burns…

The Amazon has been burning for the past three weeks and the rest of the world learned about it this week. Not only did we learn about it this week, but we learned about it through third party sites, blogs, videos, and images being shared through social media. Not one of the major news agencies around the world covered it until people started voicing their deep concerns on Facebook and other platforms stating, “Why aren’t we doing anything about the “world’s lungs” catching fire?”

That’s a pretty serious question. Especially now, when the world is finally starting to take notice of our carbon footprint, and what we have done thus far to render our planet vulnerable. The fire in the Amazon is pouring kerosene on the world. What makes this matter all the more devastating and frustrating, is that the President of Brazil claimed up until a few hours ago that it was the NGO’s within the region who set the fires in the Amazon to make a statement.

Here’s what you need to know about the Amazon fire…

The rainforest is currently burning at a record rate. Brazil had declared a state of emergency over the range and amount of fires in the region, but didn’t bring too much attention to the crisis otherwise. This year alone, there has been close to 73,000 fires in Brazil, and they have been detected by Brazil’s space research center, INPE. That’s a whopping 83% increase from 2018 and the highest number on record since 2013, according to Reuters.

What started the fires?

The confusion I seem to be hearing and reading a lot is that, “It’s a rainforest! It’ll put itself out!” or “Mother nature always has these kinds of fires; it’s fine.” These two typical responses I continue to see are frankly ludicrous, and the issue is a little more complicated and insidious than that.

Yes, it’s a rainforest, and yes, it’s usually wet and humid, but July and August are known to be the driest months of the year, also considered the “dry” season of the Amazon, with the wet season really taking place in early-September and usually coming to an end by mid-November, according to NASA.

It’s rumored that these fires are man-made, usually started to clear out sections of the land for ranching and farming. Because of that alone, the majority of fires can be attributed to humans.

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has tried to blame the fires on anyone and everyone, especially taking careful aim at the NGOs, stating that they would do this because of his budget cuts to their organizations. He reneged on his statement shortly after claiming he never said it.

Is there a connection to climate change?

If we do a little research we quickly learn that greenhouse gas emissions increase as the number of forest fires increase. This situation makes the planet’s overarching temperature skyrocket. As the temperature rises, we are likely to see more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, winter storms, and devastating droughts… a lot of them.

Is the entire Amazon affected as of now?

As of now, the entire Amazon has not been affected, but large swaths of it have. Areas such as Rondonia, Para, and Mato Grosso are currently having the majority of fires. What’s insane about all of this, is that the damage is not just felt in the Amazon when there is a wildfire. The cost goes far beyond Brazil and the surrounding nations.

As of today, there are over 2,500 active fires taking place in the Amazon. It’s so bad that you can see it from space.

Are the fires still going on?

The fires are still raging, but it seems that mother nature has decided to take matters into her own hands and reports of scattered thunderstorms have been seen all over the Amazon on Friday. We will have to see if the rains provide some relief to the rainforest.

Facts…

The Amazon alone generates more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and is home to 10% of the worlds known biodiversity. The Amazon plays a significant role in regulating the climate around the world, and without it, the world would be dramatically impacted, from drinking water to farming. Those numbers alone send a chill down my spine, knowing that all this time this beautiful part of our earth has been engulfed in flames.

What is currently being done by humans?

From Venezuela to France, people, and politicians are all coming out to show their solidarity and concern over the lack of response from Brazil’s government on getting the fires under control. The desired effect is starting to happen, where we are seeing the Brazilian president squirm and shift under the heavy scrutiny.

At this point, all we can do is provide funds or supplies to some of the organizations that are trying their best to combat these fires, and find a way to stand with the people of Brazil. They need to find a better president that cares more about breathing than the dollar signs he believes will help Brazil, when in reality it’s only helping him and his cronies.

This article was originally published on 23 August 2019.

While the price of the pound sterling erodes faster than the Amazon basin, we see an appreciation in the values of middle-class white privilege, having horrible views and being totally incompetent. I am of course referring to Trump, Johnson and Bolsonaro. We are no longer discussing right-wing politics as their views go beyond protectionism. Their policies are derived from laziness, convenience, self-interest and defiance of doing the right thing. So what exactly is going on in the world? How has it come to this in 2019?

I want to impress upon you how Trump et al are not simply laughable misfortunes we can shrug our shoulders at. An eclipse of rationality and reality has overcome us with deep scars impending on our social and ecological history. Of course in the three nations, different forces are at play. In the USA, fatigue of being told ‘you need to do the right thing’. Brazil’s vote was swung by appealing to the public’s desperation. Boris bucks the trend in that he was elected by party peers when Theresa May stepped down. At first glance, Boris seems the most harmless in his glory-seeking buffoonery. But a ruthless liar can only mean potential ruin for Britain.

We all know enough about Trump; but as a Brit, I feel a duty to inform the world of Boris’s incompetence. Despite being fired multiple times for dishonesty, Boris maintained his career as a journalist until entering politics. He then won an election to become Mayor of London. During which he failed to deliver on any of his responsibilities and betrayed promises. Most notorious of these lies is the promise of £350 million a week back into the U.K’s public healthcare system to win the Brexit campaign. This year, Boris was taken to court for these unsubstantiated lies but somehow left unscathed. Dishonourable mention for his 37 offensive public remarks including calling Black children of the commonwealth “flag-waving piccaninnies,” devout Muslim women walking “letterboxes,” likening gay marriage to bestiality and “f**k the families of 7/7″ bombings.

If you thought Boris was a farce, Bolsonaro says hold my caipirinha. His rainforest slaying is reported daily, this needs no introduction. He says Black people “are not even good for procreation” and should “go back to the zoo.” He said about an opposing female Congresswoman that she doesn’t even deserve to be raped. Recalling his earlier years on a public sector salary, he would spend his money on sex. So why would so many women and Black Brazilians vote for him? It is speculated that speaking to the electorate’s increasingly popular Catholic values and promises of a quick fix to the country’s crime and ailing economy won it for Bolsonaro.

An unsavoury but important question some of us are secretly asking: is White male privilege to blame here? Wealthy, supposedly educated White majority countries elect racist White men. In fact, a White man in Brazil has managed to deeply offend those of Afro-Caribbean descent yet astoundingly garnered the majority of their votes. Why are Trump, Johnson and Bolsonaro untouchable when they are awful human beings? Is it even fair to bring up the White male privilege cliché? Because let’s face it, if a person of colour or a woman held the same views they would not even be in the running, let alone be in office.

My answer to all the above is yes, because this generational phenomenon is the last ripple of imperialism and patriarchy. An act of revolt against liberalism is a revolt against today’s youth… a united youth who want to dissolve lines of socioeconomic class, race, gender identity, orientation and faith to work together. These values are a deep threat to old-world privilege.

We have reached shameful new heights for politics in the western world. I look forward to a future where any form of undeserving privilege is an artefact of our troubled history. I am confident that when generation X become the leaders of our world, they can turn some of it around. Let’s hope we haven’t lost the Amazon and our minds by then.

Similar Read: Fascism 101

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