Climate and the rainforest: the position of Rainforest Rescue
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Sep 23, 2021
Rainforest Rescue is taking a stand on the Global Day of Climate Action. Rainforests are vital to local and global climate systems and play a key role in the fight against catastrophic climate change. Our demands are directed at policymakers and society as a whole.
September 24th is the Global Day of Climate Action. We are taking a stand on this issue because rainforests protect our climate by storing hundreds of gigatons of carbon.
Human activity is increasingly impairing the ability of rainforests to stabilize our climate: When they are cleared for plantations, cattle grazing or mining projects, crucial carbon sinks are lost. Rainforest areas then become net emitters of greenhouse gases: Slash-and-burn clearing and the use of the cleared areas for livestock in particular cause emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. The loss of peat forests is particularly devastating.
Key factors in preserving rainforests are recognizing indigenous people for their important role as rainforest stewards and rethinking our economy and patterns of consumption.
Without rainforest protection, climate protection measures are doomed to fail.
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