Here’s the thing about the burning of the Amazon rain forest. There are things you can do that will affect the rain forest—donate to organizations dedicated to protecting the Amazon; eat less beef; call elected officials and demand action on the fires now. But something that’s very important to recognize about the fire is that this is likely NOT a natural accident (or simply an accident, like the much-compared Notre Dame fire). Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has been aiming to industrialize the rain forest since his election, and it’s becoming more and more clear that he is not only responsible for the inaction in fighting the fire—he is also directly responsible for the causes of this fire.
When Notre Dame burned, there was an outpouring of response from the wealthy and powerful because saving one building in Paris provided them with good rapport. But destroying the Amazon? That provides wealth, it provides land, it provides the industrialization that Bolsonaro has been rallying for since he began in politics through mining and cattle farms. The active deforestation happening in the Amazon is happening because of a political figure, happening because it benefits industries who don’t care about their impact on the world. And what makes this so crucial to understand is that we cannot, really, save the Amazon by fighting the fire with donations and vegetarianism. We have to save the Amazon by fighting the man who created the fire and the companies who stand to gain the most by destroying it. Our ire must flow in a political vein, to the source of a man-made disaster grounded in extremism.
With all that in mind, here’s some ways to aid the Amazon rain forest:
Absolutely encourage your elected officials to put environmental concerns to the forefront, at home and abroad. America isn’t the paradigm of environmentalism, either—our recent actions with the EPA and the Endangered Species Act prove that we’re capable of ignoring our own wildlife in favor of profit. Make it clear now that environmental issues matter to Americans.
Keep track of Bolsonaro’s activities, and if you see him attempting a free trade agreement with the United States—FIGHT THAT SHIT TOOTH AND NAIL. American support will only increase the deforestation that started this.
Refuse to support the American corporations funding Bolsonaro’s actions and, by extension, the current fire. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Vanguard, Fidelity, TIAA—the pro-forest organization Amazon Watch has detailed all of these companies’ involvement in the destruction of the rain forest.
On a related note, research the supply chains that link back to the forest, and write to the companies that support them. Target sources its office paper from a Brazilian company closely tied to Jorge Amanajás, a politician with a history of promoting illegal deforestation. Minute Maid and Coca-Cola both benefit Nelson Marquezelli, another politician who has rallied for stripping protections from the Amazon and the indigenous people who fight to defend it. Demand that American companies develop supply chains that contribute less to devastation.
Don’t shut up about it. Keep talking.
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