Authors: Gabriella Viljoen and India Schaub-Jones
As you have probably heard, there are major fires going on in the Amazon. The fires were mostly started by farmers clearing out land to grow soy, so that they can feed their cows and sell them. A lot of the forest is already burnt, and if the burning continues at this rate, the whole forest will have been destroyed in hardly any time at all. The Amazon is nicknamed the lungs of our earth, and since we caused the damage, it is up to us to save it.
The permission to start the fires was granted to the farmers by President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil. President Bolsonaro is to blame because of his disregard of the forest. Despite all the criticism he has faced, and the colossal protests in Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, he still won’t give in but he only put a 60 day ban of fire in the forest up.
The plants and animals are in major danger as well. There are over 3 million different species of flora and fauna in the rainforest, and many creatures could go extinct, such as the amazon dolphin, and many more. These plants and animals are critical to the eco-system.
Here are some tips to help you save the forest.
Inform those not in the environmental circle.
Donate to a rainforest organization, such as Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Alliance and Amazon Watch.
Switch to sustainable local farms or completely stop eating beef.
Reduce your plastic products.
Sign the ‘Save the Amazon’ Greenpeace petition.
Use Ecosia instead of Google as a search engine, because every 45 searches they plant a tree.
To find out more about the Amazon fires, click on the link below!
