Global outrage over the fires in the Amazon has once again generated a debate about how to take care of our environment. In analyzing the causes of the fires, experts point their fingers at illegal deforestation by individuals and organizations that want to exploit the forest for agriculture, mining and logging.

However, in certain countries such as Argentina, those very same industries (agriculture, mining and logging) are presented as a source of economic salvation. Is it possible to reconcile both worlds or does nature facing a losing battle? 

Osvaldo Sala — an Arizona State University Regents and Foundations Professor, founding director of the Global Drylands Center and president of the American Society of Ecology — joins LaRePregunta to discuss:

Photo: Jacundá National Forest, Rondonia State, Brazil - August 27, 2019: An ongoing free in the region of Vila Nova Samuel near the Jacundá National Forest in the Brazil’s Amazon. A team from the Brazilian army, the firefighters and the IBAMA, Brazil's environmental agency, launched a joint operation on Saturday, August 24 to control the destructive fires in this region