I am sure that by now all of you have heard the news about the Amazon Forest fire. Images of black and tarred trees have been portrayed in almost every major news source. And, hopefully, most of you would agree that this is horrific for our world and environment. But, what I would like to point out is that this isn’t the first major fire the rain forest has endured.
Deforestation fires have been happening in the Amazon for decades now. The Brazilian military dictatorship of 1964-1985 seized around 6 million hectares of land in part to construct the Trans-Amazonian highway. These forest fires have been used to clear the lands and displace its ancestral habitants for the main goal of building cattle ranches and farms.With these fires, habitats for over 10% of known species of the world are being taken away in order to generate profits for capitalists within South America, and even around the world.
But, why are we just recognizing this tragedy? Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro has been assumed to be the blame for the crisis. After many years of slashing government budgets for the environment and dismantling support for indeginous and traditional subsistence communities, the world is just beginning to see the corruptness of his power.
So, what can we do to help the Amazon and our environment? You can donate to WWF’s emergency fund for Amazon fires. This organization was organized to provide support for local communities and indigenous organizations to work with and mobilize local authorities, monitor areas at risk of a fire hazard, provide direct responses to fires, along with developing post recovery plans for those who had to face the fire. If you are unable to donate, you can educate yourself and your loved ones about the status of our climate in order to inspire environmentally conscious decisions. Learn about how your food and other purchases have been produced. Purchase items that have an FSC® label. Reduce your fossil fuels. Support renewable energy. Reduce electricity. And DO NOT use single use plastics!
Source: https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-09-17/amazon-fires-push-forest-closer-dangerous-tipping-point
This is an interesting topic for a blog. It has an excellent call to action and really speaks to an important issue. Nice job working in specific ways for people to help, because those who read this will likely be fired up to help. Having accessible sources helps turn passion into action.
Great topic and great call to action. Yet again, you have struck upon another issue in the world that NEEDS to be talked about more
Those are all great ways to make a personal impact, but could you elaborate a little more on the president? What makes him so corrupt, and what are people in Brazil doing about their country being on fire?