Marcelo Silva De Sousa, Associated Press Updated 11:59 am CDT, Saturday, August 24, 2019 Neri dos Santos Silva, center, watches an encroaching fire threat after digging trenches to keep the flames from spreading to the farm he works on, in the Nova Santa Helena municipality, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. Under increasing international pressure to contain fires sweeping parts of the Amazon, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday authorized use of the military to battle the massive blazes. less Neri dos Santos Silva, center, watches an encroaching fire threat after digging trenches to keep the flames from spreading to the farm he works on, in the Nova Santa Helena municipality, in the state of Mato ... more Photo: Leo Correa, AP Photo: Leo Correa, AP Image 1 … [Read more...] about Brazil military begins operations to fight Amazon fires
science
Wags and weeds: Invasive plants meet match in detection dogs
Mary Esch, Associated Press Updated 9:20 am PDT, Saturday, August 24, 2019 Arden Blumenthal, a NY/NJ Trails conference intern, puts a GPS in Dia's dog pack in Harriman State Park in Tuxedo, N.Y., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The nonprofit New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has trained Dia to find Scotch broom plants in two state parks 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City. The invasive shrub is widespread in the Pacific Northwest but new to New York, and land managers hope to eradicate it before it gets established. less Arden Blumenthal, a NY/NJ Trails conference intern, puts a GPS in Dia's dog pack in Harriman State Park in Tuxedo, N.Y., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. The nonprofit New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has trained ... more Photo: Seth Wenig, AP Photo: Seth Wenig, AP Image 1 … [Read more...] about Wags and weeds: Invasive plants meet match in detection dogs
The Horrifying Science of the Deforestation Fueling Amazon Fires
Being a rainforest, the Amazon isn’t supposed to burn out of control, unlike California’s drier landscape, which is built to burn, and burn explosively. Yet here we are, watching swaths of the Amazon go up in flames. And we can easily nail down the cause: humans. Deforestation is what’s driving these blazes, and behind that is some horrifying science. Since the 1970s, 20 percent of the Amazon has been deforested, totaling about twice the area of California. But deforestation isn’t an organized shrinking of the rainforest, paring it down from the edges in. Humans carve out farmlands, sometimes leaving a neat edge where the forest meets the fields, or even creating islands of forest surrounded by crops or grazing fields for cattle. Indeed, agriculture is far and away the primary driver of deforestation in Brazil. You might think that well, things could be worse, at least these can operate like actual islands—self-contained spots of green in a sea of … [Read more...] about The Horrifying Science of the Deforestation Fueling Amazon Fires
Why the Amazon’s On Fire, a Robocall Fight, and More News
Humans are fueling the fire in the Amazon, a powerful group has assembled to fight robocalls, and we've got some ideas on how to keep your kids occupied while traveling. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less. Want to receive this two-minute roundup as an email every weekday? Sign up here! Today's Headlines Humans, not drought, are fueling the Amazon's flames The Amazon is burning, but climate change isn't the only thing fueling it. Populist Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been encouraging settlers to invade protected indigenous areas and natural parks that had been off limits for decades, and satellite imagery shows that the fires center around these very settlements and transportation corridors. This past July was already the hottest month on record, but a burning Amazon is likely to kick the global temperature up even more. The fight against robocalls has powerful new allies Annoyed at all those robocalls you get? Well, the fight against them just got … [Read more...] about Why the Amazon’s On Fire, a Robocall Fight, and More News
Bolsonaro prepares to send army to contain Amazon fires
Marcelo Silva De Sousa, Associated Press Updated 12:04 pm CDT, Friday, August 23, 2019 A protestor carries a banner saying 'without the forest it's crazy' during a demonstration against the wildfires in Brazil outside the Brazilian embassy in Paris, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron called the wildfires in the Amazon an international crisis and said the leaders of the Group of 7 nations should hold urgent discussions about them at their summit in France this weekend. less A protestor carries a banner saying 'without the forest it's crazy' during a demonstration against the wildfires in Brazil outside the Brazilian embassy in Paris, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. French President ... more Photo: Daniel Cole, AP Photo: Daniel Cole, AP Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Image … [Read more...] about Bolsonaro prepares to send army to contain Amazon fires