Brazil Burning

Brazil's second major ecosystem after the Amazon rainsforest, the Pantanal wetlands are burning. The Pantanal is the world's largest wetland that dry out annually and is home to a plentiful array of creatures, large and small. This year is different due to global warming: the Pantanal is burning. The remote charred area is larger than New York City, which has burned since July. The number of animals destroy or injured by the fires is heartbreaking. A team of veterinarians, biologists and local guides have been traveling the rutted, dirt Trans-Pantanal Highway searching for creatures to rescue and aid. Jaguars have been seen trekking the blackened plains, thirsty, starving and walking on paws burnt to the bone. Caymans are frozen in their death throes, their jaws open to grasp the last breath of super heated air. A snake carass was discovered in which the reptile had sunk its fangs into itself in a reflexive attempt to escape the pain of being burned alive. Officials say the are the greatest number of fires in six months for the last two decades. Humans are able to help only a small fraction of the injured animals that escaped the flames. According to Brazil's space agency, there were 2,534 fires between January and June, an almost 300% increase over last year's number. About 16% of the Brazilian Pantanal has burned. Climate scientist fear that these extreme conditions will become the so-called 'new normal' in an age of catastrophic climate change wrought by man.

The usual floods of the wet season never arrived this year. Both flora and fauna depend heavily on the annual replenishing rains. The Paraguay River, which crosses the wetlands has shrunk to its lowest level since 1973. Scientist think that warming above the equator has drawn moisture away from the continent, which will be sent north in the form of stronger hurricanes. Hurricane Sally, a force 2 hurricane, is currently flooding the Gulf Coast of the United States. Scientists refer to this climate phenomenon as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or the Atlantic equivalent of the El Niño in the Pacific. However unlike El Niño it has generally cycled every 30-40 years; it has been in a warm phase since the 1990s. Someone should tell the Heel in Office.* Destruction of the Amazon rainforest is also having an effect on the Pantanal. Rainforest trees release a lot moisture into the air during transpiration, which is carried on winds to neighboring regions. Amazon deforestation has surged under Brazil's current pro-development regime by 35%. The government headed by ultra-nationalist Jair Bolsonaro has responded to criticisms of his environmental problems by claiming an international conspiracy to harm Brazil's economy. Apparently, he has read the Heel's political playbook.

The fires threaten one of the world most diverse ecosystems. Sandwiched between the rain forest and grasslands to the north and dry forests to the south, it is a magnate for wildlife with roughly 1200 vertebrate species living there. Thirty-six of those are listed as endangered. The 58,000 square mile Pantanal is home to the world's most dense population of jaguars, the world's largest. [photo] All are suffering now from the devastating effects of wildfire.

*The ignorant Antichrist in Office claimed during a California campaign stop that, "Well, I don't think science knows, actually."[what is causing more wildfires] Nothing could be further from the truth, except perhaps his claim that SARS CoV-2 will "just disappear" because of "herd mentality", by which US Person supposes he meant herd immunity. The scientific ignorance of the most powerful political figure in the world is simply appalling, and caused the journal Scientific American to endorse a political candidate, Biden, for the first time in in its 175 year publishing history. Based on recently released confidential White House advice to states struggling to contain the virus and public statements by the Heel, it is apparent the regime is attempting to combat the virus spread with "herd immunity" developed through widespread community infection. This dangerous approach was abandoned by the UK and Sweden once it became clear that the total death toll would be politically unacceptable. Most experts think that for herd immunity to develop in a population, the needs to be an infection rate between 60-70%. The current death rate in the US from COVID-19 is around 3%. So the Heel's sociopath for making the virus "go away" could result in 7 million more dead Americans.