With shockingly low media coverage, it is not surprising that many people do not realize what is happening in Brazil right now. For over three weeks, fires have been raging through the Amazon at alarming rates and destroying invaluable ecosystems. Habitats and indigenous species are not all that are at stake; the Amazon provides the world with such a large percentage of its oxygen that it is referred to as ‘The Lungs of the Earth.’ While the planet is already struggling under the strain of a global warming crisis, the loss of such a crucial resource is critically damaging.

The most alarming part of the whole situation is that these fires are not natural. The majority of them were set by logging companies and cattle ranchers who wish to use the land for business. Because of this, many activists are placing blame on Brazil’s president, Bolsonaro, who is too focused on business and not focused enough on environmental issues. Jessi Yeung, a journalist with CNN, states that “The pro-business Bolsonaro has hamstrung Brazil’s environmental enforcement agency with budget cuts amounting to $23 million…”

The fires themselves are difficult enough to stop, but the effects of an uncaring government make the situation even worse.