4 Ways You Can Help the Amazon

4 ways that you can help the Amazon rainforest — right now.

Stop eating beef

The growing demand for meat around the world is directly linked to the Amazon fires. The U.S. imports millions of pounds of beef from Central America. Two thirds of those countries' rainforests have been cleared in part to raise cattle.

Use less paper

Illegal logging is on the rise in Brazil. Thousands of miles of rainforest are being destroyed every year to make items like office paper and paper napkins. Large areas are often burned to access trees for felling or to create access to other areas of the forest. Reducing the amount of paper and wood we use is a good way to help reduce commercial pressures on the Amazon, as well as other forests. Where it’s harder to reduce consumption, look for rainforest safe products with the help of the Rainforest Alliance.

Cut down on soy

Soybean production is causing widespread deforestation and displacement of indigenous communities across the globe. Together, The United States, Brazil, and Argentina produce 80% of the world’s soy. Soybean cultivation is expanding in the Amazon due to economics, including high prices for grains. These high prices are driven by increasing demand for meat in countries with a large and fast-growing middle class (especially India, Brazil, and China) and U.S. government subsidies for corn-based ethanol production.

Drive less

The warming of the planet, led by fossil fuels, is a key factor in the increase in Amazon wildfires. Driving less, carpooling, taking public transit can reduce your carbon footprint and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Like mining, oil and gas extraction may not reach the geographic scale of logging and mass agriculture, but the effects of these activities in the Amazon can be felt in a range of ways that are just as problematic.

Brut.