Unfortunately, it seems as though mother nature has had enough of our wanton disregard of climate change and has decided to punish us for it at her own expense. You’ve definitely heard of the Amazon forest fires, right?
We should all be concerned that the rainforest is being ravaged by flames, given that the Amazon is described by scientists as “the vessel holding a vast amount to the word’s oxygen.” If for any reason you’d want to dismiss the fires as a Brazilian issue, don’t.
An Ecological Hub
For millennia, the rainforest has served as an ecological hub that affects not only the local climate, but also the regional climate in the South American continent and the world at large.
Experts have deemed the forest our best bet in the fight against global warming, and the fact that there have been over 74,000 fires reported this year alone suggests that we are seemingly losing both the battle and the war.
However, most of the world isn’t taking the fires lightly. Locals, dignitaries, and celebrities alike are all contributing however they can to ensure that the rainforest fires are put off once and for all.
One such celebrity is award-winning and fan-favorite actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently joined forces with philanthropists Brian Sheth and Laurene P. Jobs to form the Earth Alliance organization, one that has already pledged $5 million to help fight the South American forest fires.
As various media outlets report, there exists an Amazon Forest Fund, to which the $5 million will go into. Thereafter, the amount will be distributed to various organizations on the ground whose main focus at the time is fighting these fires.
When the locale isn’t facing a crisis of this magnitude, these local groups focus their concentration on the protection of indigenous lands.
They’re Accepting Donations
Leo and his team are also inviting anyone willing to donate to their cause to do so, doing so via a press statement.
Through the same statement, they highlighted the negative effects of losing the forest not only to its immediate environment but to the rest of the world.
You do remember that the earth gets most of its oxygen from the Amazon, right?
Although almost everyone is looking at the depletion of the Amazon on a long-term angle, we must remember that the combustion also has a direct effect.
The combustion of wood releases carbon matter into the atmosphere, and you don’t have to be a genius to know that excess carbon is a pollutant.
Consequently, every living thing (human beings included) is directly affected by the massive clouds of smoke being emitted by the forest as the fires rage on, with a definite solution nowhere in sight despite different parties trying their very best.
All the same, we have to laud Leonardo DiCaprio for all the efforts he has put in, and not just in the wake of the Amazon fires.
His activism on all matters environment goes way back to the year 1998 when a young Leo founded an eponymously named organization to tackle phenomena such as global warming and other threats to the environment.
As you can see, the man isn’t just good looks and a host of talent. He loves mother nature too!
