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Brazilians Are Struggling To Breath As Amazon Burns
In the Brazilian Amazon, the city of Porto Velho is surrounded by a dense cloud of smoke from forest fires, making it difficult for residents to see the sun for days.
There are about 460,000 residents in the city close to the Bolivian border including a teacher named Tayane Moraes, 30, who said, “We are struggling to breathe.”
Tuesday saw the highest concentration of the cancer-causing PM2.5 microparticles in Porto Velho, at 56.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, 11 times higher than the WHO’s recommended limit. The worst of all Brazil’s major cities.
Lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a host of other health issues have been linked to inhaling PM2.5.
The IQAir monitoring business reports that on August 14, the level was “dangerous” at 246.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Even at home, it might be challenging to get away from the smoke. Carlos Fernandes, a 62-year-old retiree, told AFP, “It’s terrible, I woke up at midnight and my eyes were tingling because of this smoke entering my house.”
The state administration of Rondonia has launched an internet campaign to encourage people to report illegal fires, which they feel are a contributing factor in the disaster.
Farmers often set these fires when clearing land. A historic lack of rain Based on information gathered by Brazil’s INPE Space Research Institute’s satellites, Rondonia just saw its worst July forest fire month in 19 years, with 1,618 verified outbreaks.
In August, there have been 2,114 thus far. According to the INPE, there were more than 42,000 forest fires in the Amazon overall between January 1 and August 19, which is the highest number in over 20 years. Compared to the same period in 2023, that figure had increased by 87%.
The period from June to November of last year saw an unprecedented drought in the Amazon. According to INPE’s satellite photos, a cloud of smoke is moving through Bolivia and Paraguay, two neighboring countries, and across Brazil from north to south.
According to state officials, fires in Bolivia to the west and the neighboring state of Amazonas to the north are mostly to blame for the smoke engulfing Porto Velho, the nation’s capital.
In a video posted to Rondonia governor Marcos Rocha’s Instagram account, Cae Aires of the CENSIPAM Amazon protection center stated, “Because we are in the center of the continent, the smoke stays longer here.”
In the same video, pediatric hospital patients were experiencing “an increase in asthma attacks, as well as cases of pneumonia or sinusitis,” according to infectious disease specialist; Antonieta Ferreira.
“With all this smoke, it’s complicated, especially for people who have breathing problems,” Porto Velho homemaker Beatriz Graca, 35, moaned. Even though deforestation is declining, which lowers global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, the number of forest fires has grown.
By 2030, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promises to end the illicit deforestation of the Amazon.
Gentle Reminder: Be careful how you use your authority and influence, be wise, and treat others with respect.
Chychy Jonas
