Kearns – The Amazon Rainforest which covers 2.1 million square miles of land and is in Brazil, has been burning at an alarming rate for about four weeks now. The fire has created large amounts of deforestation and has even affected climate change. On August twenty-seventh, The Verge stated that it is now a record-breaking fire. The first fire in the Amazon started in January, since then there has been 74, 155 fires, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. There is a variety of reasons as to why the fire could have started, which ultimately all contributed to making the fire worse. The first reason the fire started was because of inevitable weather, such as lightning strikes. Another contributing factor is set by loggers and cattle ranchers using a “slash and burn” method to clear land, which is mostly done illegally. This was stated by an article on Earth Sky.

According to The Washington Post, if humans continue to cause deforestation in significant areas, like the Amazon, climate change could accelerate faster than ever. As humans, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect earth, starting with places like the Amazon.

The Washington Post also stated, “…the Amazon, which serves as the lungs of the planet by taking in carbon dioxide, storing it in soils and producing oxygen.” As a community, there are numerous things every individual could do to make a huge impact and prevent climate change. For example: planting trees, carpool, recycle, or even reducing water waste.

Megan Eames, the Kearns High geography teacher, and environmentalist has given a few reasons as to why humans should take more care of the planet, “…It’s scary to recognize that the world exists so far beyond you. The biggest man-made force in human history cannot stand up against the force of nature. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis… fire. We are no match for nature. We are responsible for, entrusted in, its care. We depend on our planet’s unique, beautiful existence; we have to stop taking it for granted and start seeing it as a partner in life.”  Learning about why the Amazon Rainforest is significant to all life on earth, will hopefully help everyone conserve it, and prevent detrimental situations like that again.