International pressure has grown significantly for global leaders to address the Amazon rainforest fires. It's prompted a number of celebrities and bureaucrats to post about it on social media, many of them unfortunately sharing photos that were taken several years ago and that aren't of the recent situation down in Brazil.

Those who have posted the misleading photographs have been slammed for their actions, with Leonardo DiCaprio allegedly being one of the most prominent to use one of the wrong photos while trying to bring awareness to the issue.

Since August 15th it's reported that the Amazon has suffered more than 10,000 fires which has lead to a state of emergency in Brazil's largest state, Amazonas

The viral images that have been shared by celebrities and politicians who are looking to bring attention to the issue, has showcased the ease with which inaccurate information can be spread online.

There is a great deal of misinformation being spread about the issue. Many are fearmongering that the entire rainforest for example is on fire. However, the majority of this year's fires are allegedly on cleared areas or farmland. As well, there might have been tens of thousands of fires this year, but it's still reportedly less than they've seen between 2002-2007, as well as in 2010 and 2012. Still, the issue with the fires now has prompted many people to donate funds toward efforts and projects that are seeking to protect the rainforest.

The conclusions that many in the media are jumping to might simply not be truthful.

For example, some media stations are reporting that this is the worst for fires that the region has seen since 2010, but there is no proof of that.

20% of the world's oxygen?

Various celebrities and politicians have been posting about how the Amazon is responsible for 20 percent of the world's oxygen and that the 'lungs of the world' are on fire right now. But again, this isn't reality. A number of scientists have come out suggesting that the more accurate number, regarding the Amazon’s net contribution to the oxygen we breathe, is closer to zero.

“There are a number of reasons why you would want to keep the Amazon in place, oxygen just isn’t any one of them,” - Earth systems scientist M. Coe,

Pics:
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