Popsugar News Climate Change Photos of Amazon Rainforest 20 Photos of the Amazon That Drive Home How Devastating the Rainforest Fires Really Are 23 August 2019 by Danielle Jackson Image Source: Getty / Per-Anders Pettersson The Amazon rainforest in Brazil continues to be ravaged by a rapidly increasing series of fires caused by human activity — and the disaster is alarming scientists, environmental activists, and climate change activists alike. The fires are a big deal for many reasons, the main one being that the Amazon rainforest is the provider of 20 percent of the earth's oxygen. If severely damaged, it can begin producing carbon, which would be devastating in the fight against global warming. The Amazon is also home to 10 percent of the world's biodiversity, according to the World Wildlife Fund. At this point, the fires are growing in intensity and there appears to be no clear end to the disaster. For anyone looking for ways to help, several charities, including the Amazon Conservation Team, Amazon Watch, and Rainforest Action Network, are currently accepting donations to save the Amazon. In the meantime, read ahead for a few beautiful photos of the Amazon rainforest before the fires that serve as a reminder of why the situation is so heartbreaking — and why this ecosystem needs to be protected. Image Source: Getty / Per-Anders Pettersson 1 / 20 Image Source: Getty / Paulo Fridman 2 / 20 Image Source: Getty / Per-Anders Pettersson 3 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Ben Sutherland 4 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Ben Sutherland 5 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Ben Sutherland 6 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Anna & Michel 7 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Anna & Michel 8 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Anna & Michel 9 / 20 Image Source: Flickr / Anna & Michel 10 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by True Botanicals (@truebotanicals) on Aug 22, 2019 at 4:48pm PDT 11 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by aniah warne (@aniahwarnephotography) on May 13, 2017 at 9:17am PDT 12 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by bewajai (@bewajai) on Jan 21, 2019 at 9:39am PST 13 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by PPuthran (@pputhran) on Aug 22, 2019 at 5:13pm PDT 14 / 20 Image Source: Getty / Per-Anders Pettersson 15 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Hewison (@hewisonsarah) on Jun 29, 2018 at 8:10am PDT 16 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Indigenous Celebration (@indigenous_celebration) on Aug 5, 2017 at 7:54am PDT 17 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ana (@ana3_mg) on Aug 23, 2019 at 6:49am PDT 18 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wesley James (@wild.wes.james) on Aug 23, 2019 at 5:28am PDT 19 / 20 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeppe Ørsted (@jeppil_likes_to_travel) on Dec 17, 2017 at 12:49pm PST 20 / 20 Climate ChangeWorld NewsNews