Why are the Amazon fires sparking a crisis for Brazil - and the world?

BRASILIA - A record number of fires ravaging the Amazon has drawn international outrage because of the rainforest's importance to the global environment and prompted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to dispatch the military to assist in firefighting.WHY DOES THE AMAZON MATTER? The Amazon - 60 percent of which is in Brazil - is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It is considered a biodiversity hot spot, with many unique species of plants and animals.

Eight out of nine Amazon states have seen an increase, with the largest state of Amazonas seeing a 146 percent rise. Residents on the ground in the states of Rondonia and Amazonas states said while there are fires every year they have never seen it this bad, with clouds of smoke blanketing the region.

Deforestation has risen 67 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2019 and more than tripled in July alone. Environmentalists believe those deforesting are the same people starting the fires. The government has now decided to mobilize the military to fight the fires and several Amazon states have subsequently requested support. It remains unclear exactly how the armed forces will be deployed and how effective they will be.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have said they are concerned about destruction of the Amazon but said that blocking the trade deal was not the right response. HOW HAS THE PUBLIC REACTED? Brazilians have taken to the streets to protest government inaction on the fires in more than a dozen cities, shutting down major roads in Brasilia and Sao Paulo. Demonstrations have been held outside of Brazilian embassies in Paris and London.

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