We live in strange times when sensationalism prevails over reasoning.
False memes spread faster than forest fires not only on social media but also on the maisntream media. Sometimes situations that can raise emotions are exploited for political ends and social media users innocently help them spread like a virus outbreak.
In the last couple of days two articles caught my interest that denounce the falsehood of many reports related to the fires in the Amazon.
The first “Why Everything They Say About The Amazon, Including That It’s The ‘Lungs Of The World,’ Is Wrong” is from Forbes and shows the falsehood of many news and the resulting reactions of clebrities and even political leaders that were probably misled by the media frenzy.
“… the photos weren’t actually of the fires and many weren’t even of the Amazon. The photo Ronaldo shared was taken in southern Brazil, far from the Amazon, in 2013. The photo that DiCaprio and Macron shared is over 20 years old. The photo Madonna and Smith shared is over 30. Some celebrities shared photos from Montana, India, and Sweden.
To their credit, CNN and New York Times debunked the photos and other misinformation about the fires. “Deforestation is neither new nor limited to one nation,” explained CNN. “These fires were not caused by climate change,” noted The Times.”
“Consider that CNN ran a long segment with the banner, “Fires Burning at Record Rate in Amazon Forest” while a leading climate reporter claimed, “The current fires are without precedent in the past 20,000 years.”
While the number of fires in 2019 is indeed 80% higher than in 2018, it’s just 7% higher than the average over the last 10 years ago, Nepstad said.”
“Deforestation declined a whopping 70% from 2004 to 2012. It has risen modestly since then but remains at one-quarter its 2004 peak. And just 3% of the Amazon is suitable for soy farming.”
In conclusion:
“One of the grand challenges facing newsrooms covering complicated emergent, enduring issues like tropical deforestation,” said journalist Revkin, “is finding ways to engage readers without histrionics. The alternative is ever more whiplash journalism — which is the recipe for reader disengagement.”
The second, “No, the Amazon fires won’t deplete the Earth’s oxygen supply. Here’s why” from PBS, is more scientific and demystifies the impact of the rainforests on the Earth’s oxygen:
“Some media accounts have suggested that fires in the Amazon also threaten the atmospheric oxygen that we breathe. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Aug. 22 that “the Amazon rain forest — the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen — is on fire.”
The oft-repeated claim that the Amazon rainforest produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen is based on a misunderstanding. In fact nearly all of Earth’s breathable oxygen originated in the oceans, and there is enough of it to last for millions of years. There are many reasons to be appalled by this year’s Amazon fires, but depleting Earth’s oxygen supply is not one of them.”