To Those Who Care About The Earth,
The Amazon is “gasping for air”
What actions are you taking today to help it breath?
Deforestation within the Amazon has played a central role in the negative effects posed on wildlife and the place they call home in the largest rainforest on the face of the Earth. The Amazon has taken a large beating from deforestation…and is expected to lose almost one fourth of its trees by 2030 if the rate keeps going in the same direction. This reality should open your eyes to see the drastic and horrible effects of simply using paper wastefully can have on the world as a whole. The main cause for this tragedy is the increased demand for cattle ranches, room for plantations, and building more roads throughout the land. You have the option of contributing to the greater damage of the Amazon or changing your daily routine in small but effective ways to create change for the good of all. https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts2/deforestati...
The Amazon spreads over 1.4 billion acres of land and is home to 1 in 10 known species of animals on earth. 3,000—is the number of fish species within the Amazon - one of the largest known throughout the world. These realities show that the Amazon is a unique and special place for many animals that rely on its existence to live and persevere. https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts2/deforestati...
Their lives rely on your daily actions.
The existence of the rainforest is not only home to a massive number of animals – it plays a large role in regulating the Earth’s oxygen (generating roughly six percent). And who needs that oxygen? That’s right, we do. It also absorbs much of the Earth’s carbon dioxide from the atmosphere keeping the air clean for generations to come.
The ways of man must change in time before it is too late to save one of the greatest rainforest’s on the face of the Earth.
We all benefit from its existence and must be willing to give back and protect it in times of need. Deforestation and the loss of forest within the Amazon have averaged 1.4 million hectares a year throughout the last decade. This number should be alarming to all who see it even if they are not one of the 34 million people who rely on the rainforest’s resources each and every day. These people live within the rainforest and rely on its countless - life giving - aspects every day. 3769 square miles of rainforest were destroyed by deforestation in just one year within the last decade. This is the highest rate recorded since the year 2008. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/780408594/amazon-rainforest-sees-biggest-...
Carrying for the Amazon means carrying for millions of people, animals, and a source of clean air for the entire world to enjoy. Giving back to the Amazon means giving back to countless generations to come and their wellbeing. From the animals roaming the land to the fresh air being generated, we as people of this Earth must cherish and do everything in our power to protect the Amazon from destruction. Deforestation has taken away far too many positive effects upon the world and it is time for it to finally stop.
Action must be taken.
There are plenty of ways for us, the people of this world, to give back to the Amazon and help protect it from harms way in the future. Even if it seems like being something small—using less amounts of paper and wood help protect any area of forest from having to be cut down because of wasteful uses within daily life. Protecting forests near us can have a larger impact upon the world than we ever will know. These small actions can then lead to a decrease in deforestation within the Amazon from which everyone benefits. Your daily actions have greater impacts than you might think on the atmosphere, people, wildlife, and Amazon as a whole.
Voting for leaders within government who support policies of protecting land from deforestation (especially the Amazon) is another simple way in which we are able to voice our concern for the planet and uphold our duties of giving back to the Earth. Political leaders shape policies that can either have a positive or negative effect upon places like the Amazon, where restrictions and policies must be put into place so that the land is preserved and kept far away from the destructive aftermath of deforestation. These leaders are the people we vote for each year whether it is the president of the United States or our city major: politicians have a large impact on whether or not places like the Amazon are kept safe from deforestation.
Reducing the amount of oil and gas that you use each day (the primary reason for climate change) is another small step you can do to help save the Earth even with the Amazon rainforest’s size shrinking each year. The less oil and gas consumed - means the smaller negative effect it has upon the atmosphere as a whole. Cutting down not only on consumable energy – but beef – is another way we are able to give back to the Amazon and save it from getting any worse.
The cattle that are raised in areas of the rainforest where deforestation has occurred are mainly found in fast food. The US imports millions of pounds of meat from Central America each year (in which many cases comes from cattle ranches within the Amazon. So the less we eat the meat - the smaller demand their will be - which in turn means less land needs to be destroyed for larger cattle farms. Your daily habits of not eating out and buying from places that import their meat from the Amazon is the only way these statistics are able to change for the better.
Although these steps seem small—they all lead to a brighter future. If you start taking steps in the right direction, the next person will follow and it can eventually become a worldwide movement in which everyone is fighting for the same cause of keeping the Amazon rainforest alive and prosperous for countless years to come. Each one of us relies on its existence in some way whether big or small, meaning that we have an obligation to make sure it stays in good standing and obtains the care and wellbeing it deserves.
Simon Piotrowski
Works Cited
Dwyer, C. (2019, November 18). Amazon Rainforest Sees Biggest Spike In Deforestation In Over A Decade. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/780408594/amazon-rainforest-sees-biggest-...
WWF Deforestation in the Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts2/deforestati...
