The Amazon is burning at a rate not seen

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Lungs of the planet are burning. As thousands of fiery infernos rage across Amazon rainforest, tropical vegetation, trees, and the fauna they house are being razed. Since August 15, more than 9500 new forest fires have started across Brazil, primarily in the Amazon basin.

The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate: The Brazilian Amazon has experienced more than 74,000 fires this year, whereas last year's total was around 40,000.

About 10,000 of the 2019 fires have started in the last couple of weeks. On Monday, the collective smoke plume from the fires darkened the sky more than 2,000 miles away. Some of these fires were started by farmers and loggers who seek to use Amazonian for industrial or agricultural purposes.

This year so far, scientists have recorded more than 74000 fires in brazil. That's nearly double 2018's total of about 40000 fires. The current surge marks an 83% increase in wildfires over the same period of2018. Brazil's National Institute for space research reported. The largest state in Brazil, Amazons declared a state of emergency on Monday.

Already 2019 has the highest number of fires observed in a single year since researchers began keeping track in 2013 and there are still four months to go.

The sky appears dark.

As the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon plays a crucial role in keeping our planet's carbon-dioxide levels in check. Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air in their process of photosynthesis. This is why the Amazon, which covers 2.1 million square miles, is often referred to as the "lungs of the planet": The forest produces 20% of the oxygen in our planet's atmosphere.

Typically, the Amazonian dry season runs from July to October, peaking in late September. Wetter weather during the rest of the year minimizes the risk of fires at other times. But during the dry season, blazes can spark from natural sources, like lightning strikes. Farmers and loggers also purposefully set fire to the rainforest to clear swaths of the Amazon for industrial or agricultural use.

The fires raging in the Amazon now have widespread impacts on the rest of Brazil. The smoke plumes from the blazes spread from the state of Amazonas to the nearby states of Para and Mato Grosso and even blotted out the sun in Sao Paolo - a city more than 2,000 miles away.On Monday, people in Sao Paolo reported on social media that the sky had gone dark between 3 and 4 p.m. local time.