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Today's Vocabulary
1. rainforest (n.)
a forest in a tropical area that receives a lot of rain
2. surpass (v.)
to do or be better than
3. disastrous (adj.)
extremely bad or unsuccessful
4. exacerbate (v.)
to make something that is already bad even worse
5. arson (n.)
the crime of intentionally starting a fire in order to damage or destroy something, especially a building
6. heal (v.)
to make or become well again, especially after a cut or other injury
7. monk (n.)
a member of a group of religious men who do not marry and usually live together in a monastery
8. undergo (v.)
to experience something that is unpleasant or something that involves a change
9. resurgence (n.)
a new increase of activity or interest in a particular subject or idea that had been forgotten for some time
10. ailment (n.)
an illness
Amazon fires at 13-year high for June
Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose by almost 20% in June – a 13-year high for the month, according to government data.
With such an increase at the start of the dry season, there are concerns that this year’s fires could surpass 2019’s disastrous blazes.
Activists say the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the problem.
They believe arson is likely to be even less monitored while authorities are stretched.
Many forest fires in the country are started deliberately by illegal loggers and farmers wanting to quickly clear ground.
Brazil has the world’s second-highest coronavirus death toll, after the US, and there are also concerns that increased smoke could have a damaging effect on the breathing of virus patients.
In June, the country’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) recorded 2,248 fires using satellite imagery, as opposed to 1,880 fires in June 2019.
The burning usually increases throughout July, August, and September.
“We cannot allow the 2019 situation to repeat itself,” Mauricio Voivodic, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund NGO in Brazil.
Last year’s fires peaked in August, with 30,901 – threefold the number for the same period the previous year.
BBC reported how an area of Amazon rainforest roughly the size of a football pitch is now being lost every single minute, according to satellite data.
Scientists say it could be close to “the tipping point”, when its nature completely changes.
This will happen when total deforestation reaches between 20% and 25% – which could be in the next 20 or 30 years.
Discussion
1. As you know, what countries have the forest fire disaster?
2. How can we save rainforest?
3. What is the difference between a rainforest and a forest?
“Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.””
“At first, I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.”
