Gathering tweets is part of my day-to-day job and sometimes I come across events and news that haven’t been given full attention by the mainstream media.
Anyway, yesterday I came across something which made me freeze in horror – the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil is happening at a faster pace than ever before and the damage can even be seen in space…
Fires are up by more than 80 per cent compared to last year says Brazil’s space research institute.
This isn’t a natural forest fire but one perpetuated by humans obsessed with making money.
I’m not a scientist or a knowledgeable naturalist, but I believe we are all part of this planet.
My spiritual view is that we’re meant to look after it, be its caretakers if you will.
My practical view is that we are all part of the ecosystem – we damage it, we damage ourselves.
Some months ago, the beautiful medieval Notre Dame Cathedral in France was on fire. The world was horrified, there was much media coverage and billionaires flocked to donate money to save it.
And rightly so. It was and is an important part of history, religion, architecture and culture.
But when a beautiful, ancient, natural part of the world is burning – one that is home to a diverse range of wildlife (including rare species) and indigenous tribes alike – the world seemingly turns a blind eye.
Where is the media coverage? Where are the celebrities? Where are the donations to save it?
If Trump says (not even does) something controversial, it will attract worldwide attention straight away.
It seems the Brazilian President, who wants to develop the rainforest, is immune to such scrutiny.
If the company Amazon went under, it would be big news.
But the rainforest burns and no one notices.
It affects many animals and the tribes who live there.
The wider Brazilian population will suffer.
Ultimately, we will all reap the consequences of this terrible decision.
There is a saying, ‘Fiddle while Rome burns’, which means to do something trivial while an emergency is taking place.
According to legend, the Roman emperor Nero played his violin while Rome burned all around him.
I can’t help thinking of this phrase when hearing about this catastrophe taking place right now.
I hope it stops before it’s too late…
Reblogged this on msamba.
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Thank you for the reblog.
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This is so sad. My daughter accidentally came across the news of this the other day on YouTube and today was the first time I saw it on our local news. Even then they were just talking about how many people are going crazy over it on social media. I think it’s something that needs to be taken seriously! Like you said, if Trump even so much as uses the bathroom everybody knows about it right away. Yet this is being overlooked. So sad.
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Yes, it was only a couple of days ago when it started getting real media coverage. Thankfully people are starting to take it more seriously but this should have been highlighted much, much earlier.
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I’m with you; let’s hope the fires end soon.
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I hope so, it’s so important they end soon.
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Very sad 😞
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It is very sad, I hope real action will be taken to save the rest of the rainforest.
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It was actually finally discussed on BBC Radio Four yesterday. The Amazon is in fact the biggest single contributor of oxygen to our atmosphere, so we should indeed all be worried!
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Thankfully I think the world is now paying more attention but it seemed to take a long time for such an important issue to be highlighted. I just hope something will be done about it now and the rainforest doesn’t get destroyed any more than it has.
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Hopefully, yes!
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Actually, the Ocean is. Macroalgae such as kelp, and other marine plants 🌱 like phytoplankton etc. produce over 70% of the world’s oxygen. All terrestrial trees produce the other 30%, With The Amazon Rainforest producing less than 9% of the world’s oxygen, probably even less according to National Geographic.
One type of phytoplankton, Prochlorococcus (so small that millions fit into a single drop of water) produces countless tons of oxygen and is estimated to provide the oxygen for 1 in every 5 breaths we take.
The Ocean is the lungs of our Earth 🌎
https://thewaldenword.com/2019/09/12/saving-the-rainforests-of-the-sea/
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Thank you for your comment. I agree that the sea is as vital for the environment, we must look after the sea as well as the land.
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You are so right Clare – I’m behind in Reader so just reading this today, but I just learned today that the Amazon Rain Forest is one of the natural wonders of the world and I never knew that. I also heard that finally someone has stepped up to the plate to try to start a fund to help … Leonardo DiCaprio has made some movement to do this … good thing before another one of our treasures is no longer around to enjoy it.
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I’m just hoping that this destruction will be stopped before it’s too late. It affects so much wildlife, much of it rare, the tribes living there and even the air we breathe. I think it would have a terrible effect on our planet if it was completely destroyed. Here’s hoping the Amazon will be saved.
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I hope so too Clare and over here they have not even mentioned the Amazon rain forest so much the last three or four days as the focus has been on the devastating hurricane Dorian and what damage it will wreak – right now Florida is in its bulls eye.
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You are so aware. All have to be alert about the pros and cons of our habits and lifestyles and their effects on the environment.💦°🐬~
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I agree, it’s good to become aware of what’s going on and learn how we can help improve the situation.
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One day all will come to terms on the right strategies.💦🐟
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So aptly written. We are directly or indirectly responsible for what’s happening on our planet. People like us should raise these issues whenever we can and thanks for doing it here.
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Thank you.
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Clare, we stand together. If we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.
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So true Laura. We are all part of nature so I think it’s inevitable that what we do to nature, we do to ourselves.
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It’s amazing that you ar bringing awareness about the tragic fires in the amazon. Hopefully with the help of organizations such as The Rainforest Alliance we can restore the Amazon again at some point. Hopefully soon.
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Yes, thankfully there are conservation organisations fighting to save these precious habitats. It means wildlife does have a chance.
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