For several years now, the subject of Amazon has appeared in the media from time to time, but only about those phenomenal news related to the fires. However, we do not often see news that keeps us informed about the political leadership in Brazil and their decisions about the Amazon.
Given this information, our question should be: why do we only see news on TV about when the Amazon is destroyed by fires, but no one panics when politicians in Brazil want to turn the Amazon into arable land and land for expensive real estate?
To answer this question we will discuss several aspects. Let’s begin with the mass media.
As we know, the media does not have stable and independent sources of income, so their activity is influenced by the financial income they receive. Those who provide the financial resources of the media come with conditions in terms of publication, opinions, etc. This can be easily seen in the national news stations, where each station supports and defends through the news and opinions one political party or another, or purposes of some groups of people.
Because the deforestation of the Amazon is discussed on very few TV stations, and in a similar manner is dicussed the deforestation of national forests, we realize that those who impose certain topics of discussion in the media do not want to draw attention to certain topics, like the Amazon. Why? Because they must have some advantage out of that. Let’s see what.
The businesses that bring high and stable profits are in fields such as: pharmaceuticals, construction and last but not least agriculture. So, with these things in mind, Amazon has great potential for all companies and all businesses to operate more widely and make much more profit.
Let’s see who already carries out their activities in the areas already cleared there?
Recently, sources say that the political authorities in Amazon encouraged the burning of the Amazon, in order to make it easier to sell the land there.
What companies buy lands there?
The Amazon deforestation has been in the interest of companies that can operate there, that is, by the giants that are mass-producing meat, by the giant soybean producers and by the animal food producers. All of these companies need land and soft legislation so they can develop their activities with no much tax and with no much control of pollution, etc. Between these companies are: JBS and Cargill, and the global brands like Stop & Shop, Costco, McDonald’s, Walmart/Asda, and Sysco (for more see Glenn Hurowitz, Mat Jacobson, Etelle Higonnet, and Lucia von Reusner articlecited below).
Food and sourcing companies around the world are primarily to blame for the Brazilian government’s decisions to deforest the Amazon lands because many of them bought land there, and others encourage deforestation to have more production and much cheaper products. Some of them decided to warn the Brazilian authorities over the deforestation decisions, but many are silent waiting for the cheap lands to be sold.
What is the problem?
The problem is that people are encouraged by the media and marketing to consume more and more, both in terms of food and in terms of material products, for the growing revenues of companies. But this trend is not good for people, or for the environment, or for companies. Why?
Because people are more and more obese (see America), with more and more health problems, with more and more psychological problems. Then our over consuming activity has a strong mark on the Environment, which translates in deforestation and increases in temperatures that melt glaciers, fire lands, damage ecosystems and kill thousands of animal and plant species in the last hundred years. All this for what? For us humans to be taught to work harder and harder to buy things we don’t need, for companies to make money to play with. The money that these companies make is a means of influencing politics.
What can we do as ordinary people to stop this?
The first thing to do is to not buy things just because that’s fashion. If we have something that works, let’s not replace it. Let’s not encourage the psychological influences of companies that produce food and advertise in all corners to make us buy. Let’s train the power of will and decide for ourselves what we need and why not. And the most important thing is not to waste products: not to buy more food than necessary. A lot of food is thrown away these days. Although we believe that it is not so much we throw, if we multiply the little we throw with the number of people in our locality that little will equal with trucks of thrown food.
What is the idea?
The idea is that in order to produce that little bit that we throw away, it was necessary to clear a lot of land. If we don’t buy, they won’t clear it anymore, because they don’t have any more that request to sell and everything they do would be ruined, thus the producers will adjust their activity to our needs.
So, if you want to protect Amazon, don’t buy more than you need, don’t follow consumerism trends. Material things are not meant to make us happy, but the kindness to everything around us and the energy we receive from the environment. Believe me, all the food in the world and all the expensive things won’t make you happy when the land you are living on will burn.
Advices:
- Buy exactly what you need but not more;
- Eat as much as you need but not more;
- Do not throw away products;
- Avoid buying from companies that have primarily encouraged the destruction of Amazon;
- Donate to save already affected species.
For donations access this page: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/chip-in-to-protect-the-amazon-and-its-people
Ps: Why is nobody screaming when humans destroy the Amazon?
They (the animals) scream! but not many hear, and others give louder the music.
Sources:
Earth.org. (2020). 10 major companies responsible for deforestation. Earth.org, https://earth.org/10-major-companies-responsible-for-deforestation/.
Hurowitz G, Jacobson M, Higonnet E, Reusner L. (2019). The companies behind the burning of the Amazon. Mighty Earth, https://stories.mightyearth.org/amazonfires/index.html.
Marshall C. (2021). UK supermarkets warn Brazil over Amazon land bill. BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56989711.