Dehradun, Jan. 3 -- Experts from the University of Sydney have estimated that almost half a billion animals - reptiles, birds and mammals - have been killed in the fires that are raging across Australia these days. The thousands of Koalas that have died have only been the more visible face of the calamity as photos appear of them seeking water from passersby and rescuers. Many humans, including fire-fighters and volunteers, have also died. These statistics are mind-boggling and heartbreaking, but at least there is acknowledgement of this fact in Australia, where the fires are spreading due to unusually hot weather attributed to climate change, as well as mistakes made by people.
At the same time, in Brazil's Amazon forests, the calamitous ...