The world is literally on fire and you might be feeling pretty helpless right now. I’ve cried a few times over the last few days watching video of the Amazon rainforest on fire. You’re probably thinking there’s nothing you can do, but there is.
“I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.” – Greta Thunberg
Why is the Amazon rainforest so important?
Quick Facts
- It’s home to about 1 million indigenous people.
- It’s also home to 427 mammal species, 1,300 bird species, 378 species of reptiles, and more than 400 species of amphibians. This includes jaguars, sloths, river dolphins, macaws, anacondas, glass frogs, and poison dart frogs. – source
- In a normal year, the Amazon rainforest absorbs about 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide. (source)
- The Amazon rainforest is known as the ‘planet’s lungs’ as it provides around 20% of the world’s oxygen.
The increase in the number of wildfires means that “much of the planet’s forests turn from vital carbon stores into “climate heaters”.”
Why is the Amazon rainforest on fire?
The simple answer, as is so often the case, is money.
The rainforest is cleared primarily to provide land for grazing cattle, soy farms and it is being dug up for minerals. The wood can also be sold. Around 70% of the deforestation is due to cattle grazing.
Much of the rainforest is cleared using slash and burn. It may be that not all of the fires were deliberately lit but the general consensus is that many of the huge number of fires have been. Areas of rainforest that have been fire damaged can recover but it’s more likely that the land will be cleared to make way for more cattle grazing and soy farms.
Further reading (thanks to @DaniRabaiotti on twitter, and her excellent thread on the destruction of the rainforest)
Why is the Amazon on fire? People are setting fires to clear the rainforest for farming and resource extraction – Bolsonaro is encouraging that. – BBC News
He (Bolsonaro) announced he was going to give foreign aid from projects aimed at protecting the Amazon rainforest to farmers instead. European countries stopped giving aid as a result. – Washington Post
Indigenous land is being invaded by miners, homes set alight, peoples land cleared and people killed. – BBC News
Global leaders urged to divert Brazil from ‘suicide’ path – The Guardian
What can you do to help?
You are not totally helpless. There are lots of different ways you can help, from spending just 5 minutes writing a letter to your MP or MEP or making some lifestyle changes.
1. Use the Ecosia Search engine (instead of google / yahoo)
Ecosia plants trees when you use their search engine (how does Ecosia make money?). More information about Ecosia and the Amazon here.
2. Donate to one of the many good charities trying to save the rainforest
- Rainforest Alliance
- Rainforest Action Network
- Rainforest Trust
- World Wide Fund for Nature
- Amazon Watch
- Amazon Conservation Team
- Amazon Conservation
- Survival International
- Cool Earth
3. Email your MP
The European Union and the US are the biggest consumers of beef, soy and wood products from the Amazon. Email your MP and demand they take action – Indigenous people are demanding a boycott on certain producers that we trade with.
“Traders in Europe and North America can help by cutting ties with these bad Brazilian actors, thus sending a clear signal to Jair Bolsonaro that the rest of the world will not tolerate his policies.”
“If these companies continue to support Brazilian companies, they must also be blamed for the destruction of tropical forests and the abuse of indigenous peoples.” – Boycott Proposal
Email Liz Truss (UK) – the Secretary of State for International Trade – to voice your concerns.
Write to any local or national MP via writetothem.com
Ask your MEP to demand stricter terms on the Mercusor Agreement. – more info – https://eubraziltrade.org/
4. Sign a petition
- UK Parliament petition – Demand the EU & UN sanction Brazil to halt increased deforestation of the Amazon
- Change.org petition
- Greenpeace petition
- Global petition
5. Tweet (or write to) companies which use and sell products from Brazil to raise your concerns.
57% of Brazilian soy is traded through:
6. Stop eating beef, or at least reduce the amount of beef your family consume.
By reducing demand for beef, there will be less need to clear land for cattle grazing.
7. Ensure that any wood you buy is FSC certified.
Know where your products have come from and make sure they’re from a sustainable source.
8. Plant some trees
Trees provide us with oxygen no matter where they’re located. Find a tree planting scheme near you or plant a tree in your own backyard.
Sadly it’s not just the Amazon rainforest on fire, there are fires everywhere, even in the Arctic Circle. Make a difference and take action today to save our world.
To be clear, the photo on this article is a stock photo of fire within a forest, as I couldn’t find a copyright free one of the real fires that I could use.
this was very informative. i did not no this was going on. thank you