Daily Times

The Amazon rainforest has been on fire for weeks, attracting only shallow ‘concern’ from all over the world. It is time for such concern to be made meaningful by the whole world. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is coming under huge pressure to control the worst blazes in years, which his country has simply been unable to do. Multiple fires burning the world’s largest oxygen factory in north-west Brazil pose a great challenge to Brazilian resources and firefighters. The fires should be taken as a matter crucial for the world’s environment and health, and not just a Brazilian domestic issue. The world’s largest rainforests have weathered 78,383 bush-fires in 2019 alone. The main culprit igniting fire after fire is the human settlement in these jungles. Where there is human, there is fire. It is said up to more than 20 million people, besides several million animals, plants and insects species, live in these jungles and their livelihood is linked with the forest in one way or another. Most of the fires erupt in the months-long dry season, when crop cultivation picks up.

The fire issue has surfaced at the ongoing G7 Summit in France where US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have extended their assistance, which Brazil has readily accepted, saying “any help is welcome in respect to the fires”. The G7 Summit should discuss this issue at length and come up with an international framework to tackle such disasters. Environmental issues should be beyond borders. Amazon rainforests, which supply 20 percent of oxygen to the world, should be treated as an asset for all humanity. The rainforests of Brazil make up 60 percent of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest.

Bush fires have also been reported frequently in Pakistan in recent years. This is an alarming situation. The incumbent government is the only one to make plantation a national issue and its Clean and Green Pakistan drive has earned laurels at international levels. The government should, however, make a dedicated body to put out jungle fires. Already a deforested land, Pakistan cannot afford to let bush fires devour its precious jungles. Learning lessons from the Amazon inferno, our government also should reach out the world community to make an international framework to tackle environmental disasters. *