The past couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about the impacts of climate change and how we are causing catastrophes, such as what is occurring in the Amazon Rainforest. In the midst of this environmental tragedy I have been so desperate to figure out how I can make a difference… like now. Sometimes with conservation work it’s hard for me to look into the future and think “what I’m doing now will pay off months, years, etc. from now”, especially in situations such as this one where the Amazon needs intervention ASAP. After becoming a bit more sensitive to this mass devastation of forested areas and wildlife, I’ve begun noticing it all around me. Even while residing in rural Thailand I am constantly surrounded by plastic waste/litter, overuse of single use plastics, and deforestation. Long term efforts, such as raising awareness, are impactful and absolutely vital at this time, but we also need to get out there and make the change ourselves because who else will?

A couple weeks ago I was driving around the village I am currently living in in Thailand with my boss/mentor/friend, Katherine, and she brings me to see the new reservoir that’s being built close to the elephant sanctuary. As we turn the corner, we see acres and acres of clear-cut forest… the ground brown and barren with tractors and machines throughout the landscape. We sat in the car and stared at the vast clearing and I was in absolute awe of the obliteration taking place. This is now the second reservoir in this small village in rural Thailand, the primary purpose? Livestock and agriculture. As I jumped out of the car to take photos, I realized that what I was witnessing is not much different from what is occurring in the Amazon Rainforest. In both cases, nature is being sacrificed to fuel the human need for meat consumption.

Something that really shook me once the fires in the Amazon became a topic of discussion was the lack of awareness around what is causing these fires to occur, so I think it’s important to start there. Deforestation in the Amazon is driven by agriculture, specifically the beef cattle industry, followed closely by soybean farming—which is primarily used to feed cattle. Unfortunately, on top of the emissions created by livestock (see Diet and Climate blog), slash and burn fires are utilized to clear land and turn the forest into pastures. These fires are not only destructive, but also kill wildlife, release emissions such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and often cannot be contained— decimating the forests. Trees are the key to solving this climate emergency, the more trees that are cut down and burned, the more carbon that is being released into the atmosphere— leaving us in a dire situation.

The Amazon Rainforest is responsible for more than 20% of our planets oxygen supply while also being home to more than half of the world’s species of plants, animals, and insects. Without the oxygen supply the Amazon provides, human life will suffer greatly—all at the cost of beef production. The topic of diet, although a sensitive one, is becoming increasingly important as we are beginning to see the effects of mass animal production manifesting all around us. We can no longer deny that producing animals for consumption is having detrimental implications on our planet as the Amazon continues to burn for almost the third consecutive month. It’s so important that we all take a look at the industries we are supporting, by continuing to support the commercial farming industry we are contributing to these destructive tactics which are speeding up the climate crisis and continuing to worsen the health of all living beings on our planet.

For a bit of perspective, one acre of land can yield 53,000 pounds of potatoes, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots, and only 250 pounds of beef. By adding the vast spaces of land used to grow soybeans in order to feed the cattle we are producing for consumption, forests such as the Amazon stand no chance against humans. 

However, to only look at diet is one sided as there is another big player in this issue: the burning of fossil fuels. The Amazon is such a critical component in mitigating climate change due to the mass amounts of trees that absorb a quarter of the carbon dioxide that is released each year from the burning of fossil fuels (including petroleum, coal, natural gas and Orimulsion). So this issue is two-fold, we are requiring more trees to keep up with our growing emissions and are cutting trees down faster than ever to support the growing need for animal products… something has to give. 

What can you do?

Since I know all too well how hard it is to read stuff like this and not know what you can do, let me offer some suggestions. First, to reduce your fossil fuel emissions and lessen your carbon footprint here are a few things to be more cautious of:

• Reducing your waste—try for as little packaging as possible when shopping. Recycle when possible and necessary but more importantly, minimize the need to recycle and just consume less.

• Only use heat and air conditioning when absolutely necessary! Maybe that means adding insulation or weather strips around doors and windows to keep the heat or air in—these methods can lower heat costs by more than 25% by reducing the need to turn on these appliances. Turn off your heat and air when you aren’t using them/when you aren’t home. By setting your heat just two degrees lower in winter and your air two degrees higher in summer you could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly!

• Reduce your time in the car… carpool, take public transportation, walk or bike. Every gallon of gas you forego keeps 20 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere.

• Changing your lightbulbs—replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). These not only save an estimated $30 over the life of the bulb but also last 10x longer, use two-thirds the amount of energy, and omit 70% less heat. This is a small change that when done by a lot of people could make a huge difference!

• Buy energy efficient appliances

• Reduce your hot water usage—wash your clothes in warm or cold water to cut back on the energy needed to produce hot water, buy low-flow shower heads, wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket if it’s more than 15 years old and lower the setting to save energy.

• Get in the habit of turning off lights when you leave a room and only using lights when you need them.

• Turn off water when you aren’t needing it, don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth, washing your car, shampooing/washing yourself in the shower, turn the water on only when you actually need it to rinse. 

• Plant more trees!!! One tree can absorb an estimated one ton of carbon in its lifetime!

• Share tips such as these with your friends, family, strangers, I don’t care who! Just share them!

Now that we’re all working to reduce the fossil fuels we are personally responsible for emitting, let’s talk alternatives to fossil fuels for energy. It is so important that we start supporting more eco-friendly energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass and biofuels. Implementing these energy alternatives into your lives as well as supporting companies that are working toward a healthier planet can greatly reduce fossil fuel emissions. This website has a lot of great information about the goods and bads of alternative energy sources: https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/alternative-energy-sources/

So about those fires in the Amazon… what can you do to help?

Cattle ranching is responsible for upwards of 70% of direct deforestation in the Amazon. The single most effective thing you can do to make a difference is stop monetarily supporting this industry. For as long as the demand for beef is so high worldwide, there will be mass deforestation occurring. By reducing your beef consumption down to even once a week you can be a part of the solution. It is not too late to make change and turn the climate crisis around, but we need to act, we can no longer continue living our lives as if nothing is wrong. If every single one of us does not start changing our behavior to align with the needs of the planet we will be too late, and it isn’t the earth that will die, it’s the human race. We owe it not only to ourselves, but to our home and all of the beautiful creatures we cohabitant with to be the change.