Leonardo DiCaprio Says Eliminate Beef to Save Amazon as Devastating Fires Spread

Devastating man-made fires have been blazing through the Amazon rainforest for more than two weeks without the necessary media coverage.

Now, with the whole world with their eyes on this disastrous incident, a growing number of hi-profile celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Cristiano Ronaldo, Madonna, Kris Jenner, Camila Cabello and others are among those speaking out about the potential global catastrophe.

 

 

 

 

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#Regram #RG @IamNickRose: Terrifying to think that the Amazon is the largest rain forest on the planet, creating 20% of the earth’s oxygen, basically the lungs of the world, has been on fire and burning for the last 16 days running, with literally NO media coverage whatsoever! Why?

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 21, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT

Award-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has taken to his active Instagram platform to post about the incident and spread awareness while urging his followers to donate to front line Amazon groups and vote for leaders who understand the climate crisis and the urgency involved.

Along with this, he went on to highlight that one of the best individual actions to take is to eliminate or significantly reduce beef consumption.

 

 

 

 

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#Regram #RG @rainforestalliance: The lungs of the Earth are in flames. ???? The Brazilian Amazon—home to 1 million Indigenous people and 3 million species—has been burning for more than two weeks straight. There have been 74,000 fires in the Brazilian Amazon since the beginning of this year—a staggering 84% increase over the same period last year (National Institute for Space Research, Brazil). Scientists and conservationists attribute the accelerating deforestation to President Jair Bolsonaro, who issued an open invitation to loggers and farmers to clear the land after taking office in January.? ? The largest rainforest in the world is a critical piece of the global climate solution. Without the Amazon, we cannot keep the Earth’s warming in check. ? ? The Amazon needs more than our prayers. So what can YOU do?? ? ? As an emergency response, donate to frontline Amazon groups working to defend the forest. ? ? Consider becoming a regular supporter of the Rainforest Alliance’s community forestry initiatives across the world’s most vulnerable tropical forests, including the Amazon; this approach is by far the most effective defense against deforestation and natural forest fires, but it requires deep, long-term collaboration between the communities and the public and private sectors. ? Stay on top of this story and keep sharing posts, tagging news agencies and influencers. ? ? Be a conscious consumer, taking care to support companies committed to responsible supply chains.? Eliminate or reduce consumption of beef; cattle ranching is one of the primary drivers of Amazon deforestation. ? When election time comes, VOTE for leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold action—including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.? ? #RainforestAlliance #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForAmazonia #AmazonRainforest #ActOnClimate #ForestsResist #ClimateCrisis ????: @mohsinkazmitakespictures / Windy.com

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 22, 2019 at 7:12am PDT

According to WWF, extensive cattle ranching is the culprit of deforestation in virtually every Amazon country and accounts for 80% of current deforestation. A quarter of the Amazon has already been wiped out to accommodate livestock farming, causing disruption to the ecosystem.

Trends have indicated that livestock farming continues to expand in the Amazon to make way for increasing demand in meat consumption.

The Amazon has been on fire for a long time. Between 2000 and 2002, forest hotspots almost tripled from 16,000 to 42,000 per year in the Brazilian Amazon, according to WWF. There is a vital link between the Amazon rainforest, Global warming and the survival of many species including ours.

Being a repository of ecological services, the Amazon is the only rainforest that we have left in terms of size and diversity. As the rainforest burns down increasingly, deforestation continues to eliminate the fragile ecological processes that have self-refined over millions of years.

The health of this rainforest is imperative for the sustenance of global climate and an individual action like the elimination of meat and dairy has the power to affect the root cause of the catastrophe, i.e. livestock farming.

In addition, According to Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), if the world quit meat and dairy, the world’s food-related emissions would drop by 70% by 2050, the economic value of these emissions savings being at around £440 billion.

Are you a meat-eater? What are your thoughts on this matter? Spark a conversation, here.