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talkpoliticsAs the international public is fixated on the wildfires in Brazil, another similar disaster is suffocating Central Africa.
More fires burning in Angola and Congo than in the Amazon:
Angola alone has seen over 10 thousand wildfires, compared to Brazil's 2127. At the G-7 meeting in France, president Macron advocated very actively for funding the fight against the disaster in the Amazon. But those can hardly be compared to Africa. Much of the annual wildfires in Africa are due to traditional forms of agriculture and stock breeding, and they regularly affect actual rainforest, not pasture lands and shrublands like is the case in Brazil.
Also, using fire for driving game during hunting, for soil cultivation, for clearing up land for crops, pastures and roads, for fighting pests, is an ancient tradition and is practiced throughout Africa. It's still the preferred method, especially in rural areas of low income, where agriculture is not yet mechanized. It's the more efficient and economic way of fighting some pests and crop diseases. What's more, the ash is a good fertilizer, although only a short-term one.
The satellite images show that beyond Angola and the Congo, wildfires are raging across Zambia, Mozambique and in Madagascar. Generally, 9 out of 10 fires in Africa are not dangerous, they're even useful. The Congo representative at the UN climate conference has concluded that the wildfires in the Amazon are due to drought and climate change, while those in Central Africa are mostly related to the traditional agricultural methods.
But they can't help causing concern. The government of Angola has officially stated that attempting to compare the situation in Africa with that in Brazil could lead to disinforation. They assure the public that the African wildfires are a regular occurrence, and they're being started by the local rural population at the end of every dry season in preparation for the rainy season.
Still, there are some risks. Wildfires currently affect 3-4% of Earth's continental surface every year. And though this tendency is gradually diminishing in Africa (300 million hectares burned in 2016, compared to 340 million hectares in 2003), Africa is still by far the most affected continent.
1/10 of these fires tend to get out of control, leading to the burning of 9/10 of the territories affected. These are the disasters that claim human life and property, and have a negative effect on the environment. In many African countries, the firefighting capabilities are very limited. In some cases, fires are started by accident, or inadequate assessment of the risks, or neglect. In 2016, the total area burnt in Africa exceeded Spain's territory 6 times.
The environmentalists are warning that such agricultural methods could lead to large-scale deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion. Then floods and more drought. Deforestation is becoming a serious problem, though the main factor for it is tree-cutting rather than fires. For example, the forests of DR Congo have diminished from 67% in 2003 to 54% in 2018.
Speaking of Earth's natural treasures (like the Amazon), the Congo river basin has the second largest rainforest on the planet. Much of it is in DR Congo, one of the most underdeveloped countries where only 1/10 of the population has some access to electricity, and heavily relies on timber. Keep that in mind.
More fires burning in Angola and Congo than in the Amazon:
Angola alone has seen over 10 thousand wildfires, compared to Brazil's 2127. At the G-7 meeting in France, president Macron advocated very actively for funding the fight against the disaster in the Amazon. But those can hardly be compared to Africa. Much of the annual wildfires in Africa are due to traditional forms of agriculture and stock breeding, and they regularly affect actual rainforest, not pasture lands and shrublands like is the case in Brazil.
Also, using fire for driving game during hunting, for soil cultivation, for clearing up land for crops, pastures and roads, for fighting pests, is an ancient tradition and is practiced throughout Africa. It's still the preferred method, especially in rural areas of low income, where agriculture is not yet mechanized. It's the more efficient and economic way of fighting some pests and crop diseases. What's more, the ash is a good fertilizer, although only a short-term one.
The satellite images show that beyond Angola and the Congo, wildfires are raging across Zambia, Mozambique and in Madagascar. Generally, 9 out of 10 fires in Africa are not dangerous, they're even useful. The Congo representative at the UN climate conference has concluded that the wildfires in the Amazon are due to drought and climate change, while those in Central Africa are mostly related to the traditional agricultural methods.
But they can't help causing concern. The government of Angola has officially stated that attempting to compare the situation in Africa with that in Brazil could lead to disinforation. They assure the public that the African wildfires are a regular occurrence, and they're being started by the local rural population at the end of every dry season in preparation for the rainy season.
Still, there are some risks. Wildfires currently affect 3-4% of Earth's continental surface every year. And though this tendency is gradually diminishing in Africa (300 million hectares burned in 2016, compared to 340 million hectares in 2003), Africa is still by far the most affected continent.
1/10 of these fires tend to get out of control, leading to the burning of 9/10 of the territories affected. These are the disasters that claim human life and property, and have a negative effect on the environment. In many African countries, the firefighting capabilities are very limited. In some cases, fires are started by accident, or inadequate assessment of the risks, or neglect. In 2016, the total area burnt in Africa exceeded Spain's territory 6 times.
The environmentalists are warning that such agricultural methods could lead to large-scale deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion. Then floods and more drought. Deforestation is becoming a serious problem, though the main factor for it is tree-cutting rather than fires. For example, the forests of DR Congo have diminished from 67% in 2003 to 54% in 2018.
Speaking of Earth's natural treasures (like the Amazon), the Congo river basin has the second largest rainforest on the planet. Much of it is in DR Congo, one of the most underdeveloped countries where only 1/10 of the population has some access to electricity, and heavily relies on timber. Keep that in mind.
