What are people doing to tackle the fires in the Amazon?
- Published
Amazon rainforest fires: Your questions answered
You may have seen footage of the devastating fires that have destroyed vast areas of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Experts say the fires are caused by people intentionally setting fire to the land in order to make way for farming and mining.
This is something that has been common way of managing the forests but some of the fires have spread and become uncontrollable.
Now, the Brazilian president has introduced a new rule saying people are not allowed to set fire to the land for the next 60 days.
The official figures show more than 83,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year - the highest number since 2010.
People have been protesting around the world in order to try and stop the practice of land clearance.
President Jair Bolsonaro has faced a lot of criticism from environmentalists for failing to protect the rainforest and encouraging farmers to start the fires.
He argues farming and mining on the land will be good for the Brazilian economy.
However, scientists have warned the world's environment will be damaged if the process of deforestation continues.
Many environmentalists say there won't be anyone to enforce the 60 day ban and lots of the fires that have been set have been started illegally.
The Amazon rainforest is really important to the air we breathe and for turning the gas carbon dioxide into oxygen.
The jungle is home to many different species of wildlife and plants, many of which are rare or endangered.
So what else are people doing to help?
Leaders of South American countries will meet next week to discuss the crisis at a big summit.
The government in Chile has lent four planes to Brazil in order to help fight the fires - it is believed they have been dropping water on the land.
The Brazilian leaders say it has enlisted the help of 44,000 soldiers to try and put the fires out.
Other international leaders at the G7 conference earlier this week, (which is an an annual meeting between leaders from seven of the most powerful countries in the world), offered a $22 million (拢18 million) package to help fight the fires.
But Brazil's President rejected the offer, saying he wants an apology from French president Emmanuel Macron for calling him a liar.
Macron accused him of "lying" about fighting climate change and threatened to scrap a huge trade deal between the European Union and South America.
- Published26 August 2019
