Head of the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) Ahmed Abdel-Aal said that the Amazon forest fires will impact the global climate in general and the climate of Egypt in particular.
He said that the expansion of human activities in the exploitation of coal, oil and its derivatives led to increased global warming on Earth. Because humanity has eradicated green areas, it is natural for nature to revolt, as evidenced by the violent weather-related events that the world has seen recently, he stated.
Europe has seen unprecedented snowstorms. There was a recent hurricane in America, and Southeast Asia has seen several hurricanes. Africa has experienced drought in some places and flooding in others, he said.
He explained that the Amazon fires will impact the composition of the atmosphere and cause high levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide resulting from combustion. These gases become toxic when combined with rainwater, turning into acid rain.
He added that these processes will negatively impact the land itself and therefore have a serious impact on the health of humans, animals and plants. It is expected that the climate of the world will be greatly affected, including, of course, in Egypt.
One of the causes of the fires in the Amazon forest, the head of EMA pointed out, is the dryness of leaves. The dry climate contributed directly to the ignition of the forests.
“We still can face the climatic disaster of combustion by increasing green areas in the world in varied ways,” he said.
The Amazon forest is one of the most important forests in the world. It is one of the oldest natural areas. It is located in South America and occupies a large area of Brazil as well as of some of its neighboring countries.
With an area of approximately 550 million hectares, the Amazon forest plays a major role in global ecosystems because of its trees, which are about 390 billion. Oxygen, which is produced by the trees, is an important element for all creatures. The Amazon produces about 20 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere.
The Amazon’s forests are among the most important rainforests in the world.
The fires that swept the Amazon forests present the most serious environmental and climatic disaster at this time. They will impact the global climate, causing major environmental disasters. The dry climate is the main reason for the ignition of these fires. The human expansion of agricultural activities at the expense of forests (converting forests and plains to agricultural land) in order to raise livestock is also a contributing factor.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
