I just read from the news that the environment ministry of Brazil is proposing to open up more of its Amazon rainforest to logging, mining and farming. 1 If this bill passes, they are hoping it could end land conflicts, create jobs and bring progress to their economy. However, it could also lead to further deforestation.

This is not a good news at all.

I think that indeed, it is likely to create jobs temporarily but it is nothing compared to the catastrophe that will happen to our environment, which will not only hurt locally but on a global scale.

When we were little, we learned that rainforests are the 'lungs of the world' because they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, which are both vital for our survival. They also provide homes to many flora and fauna that might have genetic information and could be used to cure future diseases and create future materials.

Thus, the economic impacts that they are projecting from passing this bill cannot ever justify its ecological impacts.

This is also the reason why Norway gave them $1 billion to stop deforestation. Apparently, this is not enough money for Brazil to stop cutting down their own rainforest. 2

But before you blame the Brazilian government and say, 'Fuck Brazil' for exploiting our largest rainforest and carbon sink for their own gain, you should first consider how your lifestyle gives incentives for exploitation through the mindless overconsumption of beef and palm oil-related products. Yes, when an overwhelming population demands for bigger hamburgers, companies are more motivated to provide us what we want in exchange for higher profits. We want it, so they make it. That simple.

You might ask 'how does my love for hamburgers affect deforestation?'

Rainforest deforestation's number one cause is animal agriculture and growing the crops to feed them, which is soybean.

Now you know why there's too much beef in your country that comes from Brazil, at least here in the UAE. Yes, and if you don't know yet, cows emit methane when they burp.

Methane is about 25x greater than carbon dioxide and when livestock and manure emissions are combined, the agriculture sector is the primary source of methane emissions. 3 And according to Yale, 80% of Amazon soy is destined for animal feed.4

Another big problem is that the soil in rainforest is only fertile as long as there is biomass constantly supplying nutrients. Take away that biomass and you are left with soil that can only support crops for at most 3 years before it becomes infertile. Rainforest is definitely one of the worst places to farm. And of course, they will not invest in making the soil better because it is way cheaper to just cut a piece more of forest.

What can we do?

If we make smart decisions about our consumption, companies will be forced to take notice or be left behind. Remember, our own behavior is what we have the most control over. Thus, you can do your part by reducing or eliminating your intake of beef.

This is also the main reason why I adopted the pescatarian lifestyle. I stopped eating meat a year ago. Sadly, I am the only pescatarian in my family. They are concerned and they also want change but they are not willing to make lifestyle changes. They know they can be a part of the solution to this problem but they think they are only a drop in the ocean.

Don't forget that while you'd be a drop in the ocean, the ocean is made out of droplets. The world can definitely change. Many powerful and successful movements in the past started with individuals such as women's rights, and aren't they embedded in our culture today?

“Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.” - Cree Indian Prophecy

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