Why is Brazil’s Amazon rainforest engulfed in flames? | Just The FAQs

Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, known as the “planet’s lungs,” is burning at a record rate. The fires are no accident, and we need to face it. How does this affect our planet Earth? We explain.   
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The Amazon is burning at an alarming rate as tens of thousands of fires lay waste to the world’s largest tropical rainforest.

Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research said there have been 74,155 fires in the Amazon this year as of Tuesday, according to its satellite data: an 84% increase from the same period last year.

The Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world,” absorbing greenhouse gases that would otherwise harm the planet. It also is home to a number of indigenous people who rely on the forest’s resources.
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