President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the Amazon is our planet's lungs and that Maldivians call upon the world to do more to protect the Amazon.'

He made the statement via a tweet regarding the fires ravaging the Amazon.

"Greatly distressed by the fires ravaging the Amazon. The Amazon produces 20% of earth’s oxygen - it’s our planet’s lungs and one of the largest natural carbon traps. As a climate vulnerable nation, we Maldivians call upon the world to do more to protect the Amazon," President Solih said.

The inferno in the Amazon, two-thirds of which is in Brazil, threatens the rainforest ecosystem and also affects the entire globe.

More than 30 million people live in the Amazon, which is also home to large numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, most of them unique to the region. A new plant or animal species is discovered there every two days.