{"id":39864,"date":"2023-08-06T01:41:41","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T04:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/radar\/look-at-the-crisis-in-the-amazon-and-understand-the-stakes-were-battling-for-life-itself\/"},"modified":"2023-08-06T01:41:41","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T04:41:41","slug":"look-at-the-crisis-in-the-amazon-and-understand-the-stakes-were-battling-for-life-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/en\/radar\/look-at-the-crisis-in-the-amazon-and-understand-the-stakes-were-battling-for-life-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"Look at the crisis in the Amazon and understand the stakes: we\u2019re battling for life itself"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this week\u2019s Amazon summit, the world must stand with Indigenous peoples \u2013 and demand protection for the rainforest<\/p>\n

Photo: \u2018We are on the brink of a tipping point for the Amazon basin.\u2019 Land burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Brazil. Photograph: Andr\u00e9 Penner\/AP<\/p>\n

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THE GUARDIAN<\/p>\n

Mark Ruffalo<\/a>
\n6 de agosto, 2023<\/p>\n

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S<\/p>\n

ome of the most fulfilling moments in my life as an actor are when I play roles that speak to the challenges facing humanity. In\u00a0The Avengers<\/a>, for example, in which I play the Hulk, the team tries to undo the \u201cthe snap\u201d \u2013 an apocalyptic event brought about by the villain Thanos to eradicate half of all living beings.<\/p>\n

As a good friend of mine says: \u201cFantasy is not an escape from our world, but an invitation to go deeper into it.\u201d The simple fact is that humanity has triggered extinction events \u2013 and the collapse of the Amazon is a disaster that will be terrible for all of us in real life.<\/p>\n

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We are on the brink of what scientists are calling a \u201ctipping point<\/a>\u201d for the Amazon basin, meaning that the destruction will get to a point where the forest can no longer regenerate. This is Earth\u2019s endgame. Over\u00a010,000 species<\/a>\u00a0could be wiped out, starting a domino effect that would affect our planet\u2019s climate, our water, and food supplies everywhere \u2013 taking many human lives with it. So even if you live on the other side of the globe, this is very much your problem, too.<\/p>\n

Scientists tell us that we don\u2019t have much time to reverse this \u2013 and to do so, we must\u00a0protect 80%<\/a>\u00a0of the Amazon and sustainably manage the other 20%.<\/p>\n

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\"Brazil<\/picture><\/div>
Brazil restores ownership of the Amazonian lands of the upper Guam\u00e1 River to Indigenous people, 28 June 2023.<\/span>\u00a0Photograph: Andr\u00e9 Borges\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The good news is that there are real-life Avengers showing us the way. Because while we have been playing at consuming and destroying, Indigenous peoples have been conserving almost all biodiversity this planet still holds. No joke: 80% of the planet\u2019s remaining biodiversity\u00a0is on Indigenous land<\/a>. Silently, they have proven that the smartest way to save us all is to recognise and protect their territories. But tragically, these Indigenous peoples are\u00a0being removed<\/a>, attacked and even killed by multiple villains: hostile governments, powerful lobbies, trafficking, loggers and mining.<\/p>\n

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And this coming week, they will face an important battle: the\u00a0Amazon summit<\/a>. Leaders from all Amazon countries will gather in Brazil to decide the future of the forest. And our Amazon saviours will be fighting to guarantee we get all the protections we need.<\/p>\n

It is time for reinforcements to arrive from all sides, and for all of us to realise and come to terms with how high the stakes are. Indigenous wisdom says that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. This is a calling from the children of the generations that will follow us. We are all being asked to assemble and awaken what is heroic in us. Let\u2019s pledge together to help them.<\/p>\n

We need to turn all eyes to the Amazon summit as a decisive moment for the whole world. The best way to do this is by making leaders aware that we are all watching what they do. And that public gaze is already bearing fruit. In July, thanks to action by the new Brazilian government,\u00a0deforestation fell by at least 60% compared to the same month last year<\/a>. Now we need them to commit to recognising Indigenous territories and protecting 80% of the forest now, in line with scientific recommendations.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard it said that there used to be many \u201cenvironmental issues\u201d. But now, it\u2019s all one struggle: for life itself. Such a struggle reminds me of\u00a0Avengers: Endgame<\/a>\u00a0barrelling towards its conclusion and of the 14,000,605 timelines that Doctor Strange witnesses: of all of them, there was only one in which they won.<\/p>\n

The odds were stacked against them just as they appear to be against us. But as with the Avengers, only our actions together can beat the odds so that life on Earth wins. Let\u2019s do this.<\/p>\n