10 times the size of Texas, which is the biggest rainforest in the 

world, is often called the ' Earth's lungs ' and 60% of it lies within 

Brazil. Every year, Trees stores atmospheric carbon absorbed from 

Amazon as a greenhouse gas that adds to global warming and in 

fact takes in 2 billion tons of carbon dioxides.It is home to 

approximately 20% of the world's plant species, many of which 

have no other location.

This year, on Thursday, the Brazilian National Institute for Space 

Research, which monitors deforestation, reported 76.720 wildfires 

across the nation. This is an 85% increase compared with the figure last year. A little over half of the 40,341 

in the Amazon region was found.

"It's very hard to have natural fires in the Amazon, Paulo Moutinho,

 cofounder of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute said 

this week. But most come from people’s hands." 

Due to deforestation, scientists estimate that we are near the tipping point where the Amazon can no longer function as a carbon sink. Brazil’s Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and a vital carbon store.

Smoke plumes have spread throughout the Amazon and beyond.According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams), a part of the European Union's Earth observation programme, the smoke has been travelling as far as the Atlantic coast.

In São Paulo, even skies have darkened

While there is no way to stop the fires in a plane and fly with firehoses to Brazil, you can do a few kinds of stuff to support the rain forest, which is perhaps less enjoyable than dousing the fire, but can have a long-term effect:

• Protect an acre of rainforest through the Rainforest Action Network.

• Reduce your paper and wood consumption or buy rainforest safe products through the Rainforest Alliance.

• Help protect animals living in the jungle with WWF.

• Reduce your beef consumption. Rainforest beef is typically found in fast-food hamburgers or processed beef products.

 IMAGE REFERENCE: PLANET LABS INC

National Institute of Space Research