South America Amazon Great Flames Now there is a crisis September 26 21:49
#Do you know PlayforAmazonia? Amazon in South America where more than a quarter of the creatures on Earth live. As many as 90,000 large-scale fires have occurred in a row, burning up the rainforest and becoming a global problem. People around the world are sending out information about the crisis facing this Amazon using #. Among them are singer Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Already in Brazil alone, the area exceeding Japan's Kyushu has been burnt down, and the impact has spread to rare wildlife as well as residents living in the area. NHK was the first Japanese media to accompany the site of this major fire and covered fire extinguishing activities closely. Why are there so many large fires so far that they can't touch them? There was a shadow of that person, known worldwide. (Sao Paulo Branch Director Tomomi Komiya)
The satellite image of the impact "Earth's lungs" is burned off
Amazon is the world's largest rainforest that spans nine countries and regions in South America, accounting for 40% of South America. It is said that more than a quarter of the earth's creatures are inhabited, and new creatures are still being discovered once every three days.
Between January and August, the forest that exceeds the area of Kyushu in Japan was burned out in Brazil. There were 90,000 forest fires, twice the same time last year.
The reason why this problem has attracted worldwide attention is a satellite photograph released by NASA. The whole world was shocked by how the hands of fire rise all over the forest. After that, the Amazon issue was taken up as a major agenda at the G7 Summit = 7 major summits and became a global focus.
Negotiation 1 month
I applied for coverage with the Brazilian army, which is in charge of dealing with Amazon forest fires. 1 month to negotiate. In the middle of September, he was allowed to cover the forefront of forest fires in the Amazon nature reserve, provided that military personnel are always present to ensure safety.
The first destination was Porto Velho, Horizon, a town in the northern Amazon. It is known as the Amazon port town where a branch of the Amazon River runs through the middle of the state. There was a Brazilian military base in a natural park that ran about 5 hours by car from the center of the town.
Since August, 7,000 military personnel have been dispatched to various parts of the Amazon to deploy large-scale firefighting projects. In this town, in addition to military personnel, more than 200 people, including the Ministry of the Environment's staff engaged in nature conservation activities and firefighters, set up camps and lived.
Gasoline tank on forest fire scene
What is happening in a series of large-scale fires? As soon as I entered the site, I accompanied the military fire fighting activities. Fire extinguishing activities take place during the bright hours from 11am to 4pm. When it gets darker, the whole area is covered with jet-black darkness, making it impossible to move and increasing the chances of encountering wild animals. Patrol moves by car as close as possible, relying on the location checked in advance by satellite images.
About 30 minutes to get out of the car and walk into the forest. Suddenly, there was a strange smell with a nose like a chemical substance. As I approached, a tank filled with gasoline was thrown away in a corner of the forest that was burnt black. The true smell was gasoline. The smell spreads all over the site, and you can see that it is clearly a mark made by people. In the vicinity, a giant Amazon tree fell and fell. Someone is firing illegally.
According to military officials, these arsons are taking place in various places. Those who ignite illegally do not immediately ignite the forest. First, cut an Amazon giant tree with a chainsaw, etc., and expose it to the sun's sunshine for several days to dry it thoroughly. Then, let it burn vigorously, then burn it with gasoline. Huge charcoal and big trees were found everywhere in the vast fire scene.
Cows grazed on burned marks
Why do people ignite illegally? As we entered the forest, many cows were grazed in the burned forest. In the Amazon, even if a huge tree is burned out, the grass that feeds the cow grows soon. An easy way to create a place where grazing can enrich your life is to ignite the forest with gasoline.
If you look at a satellite photo of an Amazon forest fire taken by the Brazilian army, you can see that the fire scene is concentrated very close to the road through the forest. Livestock farmers, etc. are believed to have illegally ignited their eyes for surveillance, grazing and pioneering.
"Trump of Brazil" President Borsonaro
Actually, there are so many livestock producers who ignite illegally, and that is President Borsonaro, who is said to have been appointed as a Brazilian Trump. President Borsonaro claims that Amazon's resources are not being utilized. He called on the public to actively develop.
Local residents insist that many livestock producers are actually on fire in response to this call. A farmer who has seen many places that are actually on fire also talks.
"The change to the Borsonaro administration is a major factor, and many friends are talking about the opportunity now."
Wildlife Conservation Center Pictures
Next we headed to Rio Blanco, the capital of the state of Acre, northern Brazil, with a population of about 300,000. From the center, there was a wildlife conservation center protecting wild animals burned by a forest fire in about an hour's drive to the forest.
The fire is also approaching the Wildlife Conservation Center, where it also stands around the cage where the smell of burnt smells protects the animals. Protected were 50 species of 20 species ranging from birds such as parrots to mammals such as monkeys and jaguars. Ten staff members were treated 24 hours a day.
When I visited, the wild sloth was severely burned in three places on his limbs and was undergoing surgery. The local firefighters protected the fires that had escaped from the forest fire. Slowly moving, sloths, anteaters, snakes, etc. are often burned and brought to the center.
The center also protected sloth babies that were only one and three months old. The parent sloth says he was burnt dead nearby. A researcher at the Wildlife Conservation Center confines.
“This time, more than three times as many animals as usual are brought in, and it is in a state where it cannot be accommodated.”
Uniquin village
Of course, it is not only wild animals that are suffering from this fire. There is a village inhabited by indigenous and uniquin people, about 100 kilometers further from the place where the Wildlife Center is located into the rainforest. Leader Mapu Uniqin (30) lives with a self-sufficiency in this nature reserve with more than 30 people in the family.
It was last month that Mapoo's forest was attacked by a fire. The forest and fields behind my house were burnt down. With the disappearance of the forest, strong hot air is blown directly on the residence, and more children are complaining of health problems such as sunstroke. Acai and other trees die with high temperatures, and it is said that wells that are indispensable for daily life are also lost.
“This is the worst year of my life. Our land has been burned, the clean air has gone and the forest has died.”
Growing criticism of the international community
The international community has been accused of this situation. French President Macron strongly criticized.
“We must regenerate the Amazon for biodiversity and global warming countermeasures”
However, Brazil's President Borsonaro has repelled internal politics.
However, what is on the Amazon site is the lives of the poor. Maurocio Balboa, who runs the livestock industry near the first military base in Porto Velho, visited. It owns 75 hectares of forest and runs a livestock industry with four families, but the income is about 80,000 yen per month. It is a last minute life.
The Borsonaro administration temporarily banned slash-and-burn from the end of August under the pressure of the international community. You can't use fire to expand the pasture, and your income is flat. There are many forest fires, and they are close to their homes, but they say they can't afford to fight fires. Balboa was angry with nowhere to go.
"Protect Amazon, but it's impossible for me who don't have the money to buy even the milk of a child. Brazil's President Borsonaro is right.
Of the 20 million people who live in the Amazon region of Brazil, many are relatively poor people with a monthly income of less than 100,000 yen. For such people, burning forests and making meadows is also a way to enrich their lives. Global warming and the lives of Amazon people. It seems that a lot of discussion is needed to resolve forest fires to prevent global warming.