Although the current fires in the Amazon rainforest are absolutely devastating, they are opening people’s eyes to the deforestation that has been taking place in the Amazon for a long time. For a long time, environmental and animal activists were practically ignored when trying to get people to take a stand against deforestation. But now, everyone is worried about the lungs of the planet (understandably so). However, there is a long history of deforestation, misuse of land, habitat loss, destruction, logging, and more behind these fires. And there has been much information gathered over the years on the topics. Here are 10 of our articles from the past few years to help you get a better understanding of deforestation and how you can take action!

1. 5 Big Causes of Deforestation and How You Can Stop It

Source: 5 Big Causes of Deforestation and How You Can Stop It

“Forests provide us with many benefits, including goods such as timber and paper. They help mitigate Climate change by consuming the carbon dioxide we put into the air, while breathing out oxygen. Tropical rainforests, like those in the Amazon, play a vital role in the water cycle by providing rain to the region.”

This article by Paulina Yam is a great place to start because it explains what are 5 of the biggest causes of deforestation. They may be surprising to you if you are just beginning to do research on this topic. For those of us that are familiar with the topic, it’s a good refresher to help us know what to say when explaining the severity of deforestation to others.

2. The Impact of Deforestation and The Importance of Trees

Image Source: Marten_House/Shutterstock

Many people’s concern when it comes to deforestation is broader and focuses on oxygen, the effect on humans, habitat loss, etc. but there’s an even simpler thing that’s not talked about much and just as important to all these topics: the trees themselves. It’s important to remember why trees are so important and what their role is on Earth. The Impact of Deforestation and The Importance of Trees by Aisling Maria Cronin delves into the importance of trees and what deforestation does to them, not just literally, but in the long term.

3. Why Tofu Consumption Is Not Responsible for Soy-Related Deforestation

Image Source: World Bank Photo Collection/Flickr

Many people think that soy is responsible for most of the planet’s deforestation, but in this article, Kate Good explains Why Tofu Consumption Is Not Responsible for Soy-Related Deforestation. Good explains how much soy is produced and who exactly eats all this soy (spoiler alert: it’s livestock!).

4. Beef Production is Killing the Amazon Rainforest

Image Source: Jami Dwyer / Wikipedia Commons

As of five years ago, when Prijakshi Sarma wrote Beef Production is Killing the Amazon Rainforest, cattle ranching in the Amazon had resulted in the loss of an area larger than the state of Washington. Read the full article for a better understanding of how beef production is one of the leading causes of Amazon deforestation.

5. How Palm Oil Production Has Changed Life for the Orangutan

Image Source: Naya Nurindra/Shutterstock

Orangutans are one of the animals most affected by deforestation. In How Palm Oil Production Has Changed Life for the Orangutan, Kate Good explains just how much and how exactly it’s affected them. As their natural habitat disappears, their lives are altered very much. Learn more about it and raise awareness so that others will realize how our food choices and food production affects others.

6. Deforestation, Human Rights Abuse, Animal Extinction and the One Industry That Unites Them All

Image Source: Wakx/Flickr

When it comes to deforestation, it isn’t just a matter of losing some forest land. It’s an intersectional problem that affects animals, the environment, and people. Places like the Amazon rainforest are the natural habitat of many indigenous communities as well as animal species. In Deforestation, Human Rights Abuse, Animal Extinction and the One Industry That Unites Them All, Lauren Kearney explains how all these things and more are affected.

7. The Surprising Way Your Diet can Fix the Soy and Deforestation Problem

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“While there are many causes of deforestation, including logging and land development, agriculture is widely considered one of the largest ones. It has been estimated that 80 percent of tropical deforestation is driven by agriculture.”

That’s why The Surprising Way Your Diet can Fix the Soy and Deforestation Problem by Kate Good explains how simple changes in the way you eat are important and can have drastic effects. Every bit counts and if we all ate for the planet, things would be better off.

8. Palm Oil, Deforestation, and the Fast Food Industry

Image Source: World Wildlife Fund

Many of the articles above delve into palm oil production being one of the leading causes of deforestation and even how orangutans are affected, but something people might not have considered is how fast food plays into this. Learn all about it in Calen May-Tobin’s Palm Oil, Deforestation, and the Fast Food Industry.

9. This is How Animal Agriculture Causes Deforestation

Image Source: Kim and Forest Starr/Wikimedia Commons

In This is How Animal Agriculture Causes Deforestation, Ariel Garlow explains the way animal agriculture contributes to much of, if not most, deforestation. Garlow also discusses why people might want to choose to eat “veg” for the sake of the planet!

10. Amazon Is Reaching a Point of No Return Thanks to Deforestation – Here’s What You Can Do Right NOW to Save It

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Many people may only just be realizing for the first time the extent of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, but environmental groups and activists have long known about the suffering humans have put the Amazon through. Two years ago, Michelle Neff wrote Amazon Is Reaching a Point of No Return Thanks to Deforestation – Here’s What You Can Do Right NOW to Save It to inform readers on what they can do to combat the deforestation in the Amazon.

All of these articles we’ve written over the years share the devastating information about deforestation, especially in the Amazon, but they also share hope by telling people what we can do. There are certain choices we make everyday, especially in our food choices, that affect the health of our planet. We hope you are inspired to make more conscious choices thanks to these articles.

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