Photo Credit: EuroNews
The Amazon is burning, over 73,000 fires have been reported this year and the number is growing. What is the cause? Deforestation, clearing the forest for agriculture and cattle farming. Unfortunately, now we are all paying the ultimate price.
So as the world watches, we wanted to pinpoint specific acts that we can each do to help with this international tragedy.
#1 Educate
This precious land that has been called the lungs of the planet. According to Science Alert:
As the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon plays a crucial role in keeping our planet’s carbon-dioxide levels in check. Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air in their process of photosynthesis.
This is why the Amazon, which covers 2.1 million square miles, is often referred to as the “lungs of the planet”: The forest produces 20 percent of the oxygen in our planet’s atmosphere.
Other ways to educate yourself is to follow important civic groups such as these for updates and progress on the situation:
#2 Donate
There are two ways you can make immediate donations.
The first is through the Rainforest Alliance. As their website shares:
Rainforests are being destroyed every day, putting the countless species that depend on them in jeopardy. Your support helps us fight habitat loss and climate change, working with local communities to conserve forests and prosper. Together, we’ve saved over 125 million acres in 74 nations—and we’re just getting started.
Donate here for the Rainforest Alliance
The second is through the WWF For Your World organization. They set up an emergency appeal for funds. As their website states, their goals are the following:
- Identify the most affected areas and the communities most in need of our support
- Support community services to reduce the fires and offer emergency relief where it’s needed
- Raise awareness to take action against the fires and deforestation
- Advocate for stronger laws in the Brazilian parliament
Donate here: WWF Emergency Appeal
#3 Reduce Meat & Dairy Consumption
According to The Guardian, reducing our meat and dairy intake is the most significant way to reduce our environmental impact. As they explain:
Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. The new research shows that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equivalent to the US, China, European Union and Australia combined – and still feed the world.
