Fires are raging at a record rate in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and scientists warn it could strike a devastating blow to the fight against climate change.

▲ Fires have been raging in Brazil for the past month. 

▲ Carl De Souza / AFP/Getty Images

The Amazon is often referred to as the planet’s lungs, producing 20% of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere. It is considered vital in slowing global warming, and it is also home to uncountable species of fauna and flora. Roughly half the size of the US, it is the largest rainforest on the planet.

It's like what we learned in grade school: Plants take in carbon and release oxygen. The Amazon is a key component of Earth’s climate system. It holds about a quarter as much carbon as the entire atmosphere and single-handedly absorbs about 5% of all the CO2 we emit each year.

Global warming is one of the greatest threats to the world population right now, and the planet needs trees to absorb carbon as global temperatures continue to rise, meaning these fires will not only affect Brazil, but the entire planet.

What are the causes of the Amazon forest fires?

The Amazon rainforest fires were largely blamed on two things: loosened environmental restrictions (leading to deforestation) and global warming.

Deforestation, or the removal of forest and trees to convert land for non-forest use, is the main cause of the fires, and much of the deforestation currently happening in the Amazon is illegal. If such rapid deforestation continues, it will foil efforts to keep global temperatures in check.

Droughts caused both by global warming and deforestation are also part of the problem, according to Greenpeace. Forest fires and climate change operate in a vicious cycle: the forest fires are contributing to higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to global temperatures rising. As these temperatures rise, major droughts become more frequent and can extend the forest's dry season.

How You Can Stop Deforestation and Global Warming

It’s important to remember the vital contributions that can be made by private citizens—which is to say, by you. ‘Change only happens when individuals take action,’ Aliya Haq, deputy director of NRDC’s Clean Power Plan initiative, says. ‘There’s no other way, if it doesn’t start with people.’

Traditional wood decking brings with it a number of negative environmental effects. Tropical hardwoods can contribute to rain forest deforestation and habitat degradation. Therefore, with the rise of global warming and deforestation, wood-alternative are increasing in popularity and use.

Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to create a product that can substitute for wood, decrease the need of wood materials and avoid cutting the tree, contribute to avoid Global warming, the new type of eco-friendly and energy-saving material is Wood Plastic Composite.

Wood Plastic Composite materials are usually made from recycled and reclaimed timber and plastic products. The main material of HOSUNG (Shanghai) WPC Co., Ltd. WPC products is natural wood powder (about 60%), by adding high density polyethylene plastic (about 30%) and necessary chemical additives.

The High-quality HOSUNG WPC products are made using an eco-friendly manufacturing process. Unlike pressure-treated wood, no toxic chemicals are used to treat the materials. The manufacturing process uses minimal energy and water and produces few waste materials. The recycled materials are carefully processed to remove impurities and ensure a high-quality product that is long-lasting and requires minimal maintenance.

Wood Plastic Composite materials use reclaimed timber, bamboo, sawdust and other wood waste that would otherwise end up in landfill or in an incinerator. Not only does this help to reduce the volume of material going to landfill, it also reduces demand for virgin wood. This helps reduce deforestation and habitat degradation and save forest and petroleum resources, protecting the environment and lowering reliance on logging and timber plantations.

And reducing deforestation can significantly lower global warming emissions and—together with efforts to reduce emissions from fossil fuels—plays an integral role in a comprehensive long-term solution to global warming.

As an individual or part of the global community, you can at-least save a tree to combat deforestation with Wood Plastic Composites. One small step by you, leads to twenty or more giant leaps towards a global campaign against deforestation and global warming.