The general public was late to realize what was happening to the largest rainforest in the world due to the lack of media coverage. Because of a couple of online posts on the subject, the topic was quick to gain attention, once notified, they began to bombard the media through Instagram stories and opinionated articles on the subject. Despite the concentration of the problem received, some people are still confused about why the fires started in the first place. CNN was quick to interview various different environmentalists on the subject. The main speculation seems to be that the fires were human-induced, and the purpose of it was for agricultural. President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is known for his conservative standpoints on the environment. He has proposed to exploit the Amazon for agribusiness according to Diane Jeantet for the Washington Post in the article “Brazil-Environment story”. A popular study done by the UN called “LIVESTOCK’S LONG SHADOW” states that the high demand for animal products has been the underlying reason for this type of deforestation.

Sources:

https://beta.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/ap-explains-brazils-environmental-changes-under-bolsonaro/2019/08/19/76111ed8-c2b0-11e9-8bf7-cde2d9e09055_story.html?noredirect=on

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/22/americas/amazon-fires-humans-intl-hnk-trnd/index.html

http://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/study-claims-meat-creates-half-of-all-greenhouse-gases-1812909.html

“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction.  [xix] [iv]”