Our Amazon is burning

Our Amazon is burning

By Lia Threat

Click aqui para español- >Nuestro Amazonas se está quemando

Categorizing people, places, and problems as “other“ is a tactic meant to distance us from the truth of human connection. Currently, this is happening with the Amazon. The Amazon Rainforest is our forest. We should be caretakers of this forest just as the indigenous people that live within it are. The Amazon and the biodiversity contained within it are priceless.

The truth is, we are losing biodiverse systems as a result of our demand as consumers. Our desire for agricultural products drives the clearing of native lands for cattle and grain. Our need for wood and paper is driving the loss of mature trees that anchor the ecosystem.

The Amazon holds millions of the world‘s species, which include superfoods and medicinal plants – many of which have yet to be discovered. Multiple pharmaceutical drugs mimic the effect of plant species found in the Amazon or use a component of those species within their formulas.

What would our famous “super food bowls“ be without Açai or Camu Camu, one of the highest food-based sources of Vitamin C?

So how can we be conscious consumers from thousands of miles away?

• Choose organic and support companies that buy from local cooperatives
• Cut meat consumption to a few days a week or less
• Look for labels with the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance symbols, especially coffee and chocolate
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Donate generously to initiatives that support local indigenous tribes and communities

Remember, we are all responsible for the rainforest and our planet.