Originally published on BarryNerhus.com

When people think of the Amazon, they imagine the largest rainforest in the world. The name conjures up images of acres of brilliant green, exotic species of animals, and trees alive with the sounds of birds and insects. What many don’t imagine is the once-beautiful landscape on fire, the charred stumps all that is left of the magnificent trees.

Unfortunately, the second image is what is very quickly becoming our reality. Although rainforest fires are common during the dry season, this year they are spreading out of control. Brazil, the location of over half of the Amazon rainforest, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of fires from last year. According to data from the National Institute for Space Research, the number of fires has seen a 76% increase on the same period in 2018.

The fires impact the area, and the planet, in…