In photos: The devastating impact of the Amazon rainforest fires

Rebecca Falconer

How the fires look from space. Photo: Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory/Facebook

The Amazon rainforest has been ravaged by hundreds of fires for the past 3 weeks, and the Brazilian government has deployed 44,000 troops to battle the blazes.

Why it matters: World leaders at the G7 summit have pledged a $20 million aid package to help affected South American countries fight the blazes. The BBC notes that from 1980 to 2010, the rainforest's trees are estimated to have pulled in carbon dioxide equivalent to the fossil fuel emissions of most of the 9 countries that own or border it.

Forest is cleared with fire in the surroundings of Boca do Acre, a city in Amazonas state, in the Amazon basin in northwestern Brazil, Aug. 24. Photo: Lula Sampaio/AFP/Getty Images
A farm worker in Nova Santa Helena municipality in northern Mato Grosso state, south of the Amazon basin in Brazil, Aug. 23. Photo: Joao Laet/AFP/Getty Images
Burned areas of the Amazon near Boca do Acre, in the Amazon basin, Brazil, Aug. 24. Photo: Lula Sampaio/AFP/Getty Images
Fire in the Amazon rainforest, near Abuna, Rondonia state, Brazil, Aug. 24. Photo: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images
Cattle graze near a burned area of the Amazon near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil, Aug. 25. Photo: Joao Laet/AFP/Getty Images
Fire burns out of control at a farm in Nova Santa Helena, northern Mato Grosso state, in the Amazon basin, Brazil, Aug. 23. Photo: Joao Laet/AFP/Getty Images

Go deeper: Earth's lungs are burning

Aug 27, 2019 - Science

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Hong Kong government warns U.S. as students join latest protest

Students, alumni and teachers in the Mid-Levels area take part in a joint school human chain rally in Hong Kong Monday. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of students formed human chains outside schools across Hong Kong Monday in solidarity with pro-democracy protesters, as the city's government issued a warning to the U.S. to keep out of its affairs, AP reports.

The big picture: The students' silent protest took place a day after violent clashes between police and activists in the semiautonomous Chinese territory following a peaceful march to the U.S. Consulate, where thousands of protesters called on President Trump to "liberate" the former British colony and for Congress to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, per AP.

Go deeperArrowSep 9, 2019 - Politics
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Dorian's devastation in Bahamas: What you need to know

A Marsh Harbour resident with donations. Photo: Alejandro Granadillo/NurPhoto via Getty Images

More than 2 weeks since Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas, the death toll remains at 50, but government data shows 1,300 people are still listed as missing, while much of the archipelago faced another tropical storm this weekend.

The latest: Bahamians escaped the bulk of storm Humberto, now a hurricane, as it passed offshore, but it still lashed the islands with sustained winds of 70 mph. The National Hurricane Center said. And Humberto's outer rain bands are forecast to dump 1–2 inches of additional rain with isolated storm total amounts of 6 inches.

Go deeperArrowSep 4, 2019 - Science
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In photos: 2020 Democratic candidates flock to Iowa steak fry

The crowd at the Polk County Democrats' Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday. Photo: Polk County Democrats/Facebook

Organizers of the Polk County Democrats' Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, say more than 12,200 attend Saturday's event, as 17 of the 19 Democratic presidential candidates made their pitch to voters in the state.

The big picture: The gathering comes less than 5 months ahead of the Iowa caucuses —the first to take place in the U.S.

See photosArrowSep 22, 2019 - Politics