Environment | Climate Change
The Amazon is Burning and the Earth is Dying Slowly
The Amazon now emits more CO2 than it captures…something is very wrong…
The Amazon is burning. And no, not that Amazon; not that place people go to buy nifty consumer goods and have them delivered within a day. While I know some readers were secretly hoping that I was saying that their local Amazon warehouse was on fire, I assure you, I’m not. I’m talking about the giant rainforest that serves as the lungs of the entire planet earth.
Deforestation has been a staple of the Amazon since the early days of my political career, back in 2011 when I worked for Greenpeace (humble beginnings). “Slash and burn” is what the tactic is called, where they slash the trees and cut them down, burning the remains to clear the land for farms.
And now, thanks to this practice, the Amazon rainforest emits more CO2 than it captures.
It’s burning with no signs of stopping. As profiteering takes priority over sensible environmental concerns, farmers are cutting and burning, a practice where they destroy vast swaths of…
