Dear John,
Preserving biodiversity and saving our planet’s last remaining forests is more
important than ever before.
You may know that deforestation is second only to fossil fuels in driving
climate chaos. But did you know it also exposes humans to new infectious
diseases like the coronavirus?
Humans are disrupting ecosystems that have naturally regulated diseases and
protected human health. By encroaching on natural areas and destroying vital
habitats, we’re breaking the barriers between humans and disease-carrying
animals. In fact, 75% of all new infectious diseases originate in animals, and
they almost universally emerge as a result of ecological disruptions.
Here at Friends of the Earth, our bold campaigns to save forests include
partnering with frontline communities and elected officials to pressure banks
and investment firms to stop funding deforestation. And we need your help to keep up the fight. We don’t have any time to lose.
Help prevent future pandemics and climate chaos by saving our forests: Donate
$10 or more to Friends of the Earth today.
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Here’s how it works: Biodiverse forests act as “disease reservoirs,” where
viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms naturally live and grow. As we fragment their habitat with suburban development, logging, expansion of
agribusiness plantations, and other human activity, we break the “reservoir” and
the diseases flow out, jumping the species boundary and entering human hosts. With no evolved immunity, humans rapidly spread those diseases.
And the biggest drivers of deforestation? Industrial agricultural commodities
like palm oil, paper, and cattle, enabled by huge investment firms like
BlackRock.
But with your support, Friends of the Earth is fighting deforestation by:
* Pressuring retail corporations to adopt deforestation-free policies (and continually monitoring to ensure
they follow through on their commitments)
* Blocking agribusinesses -- including palm oil producers -- from rampant deforestation, land grabs,
and human rights abuses that disproportionately harm Indigenous Peoples by
tapping into the international Friends of the Earth network
* Exposing how leading U.S. pension funds are directly invested in rainforest
destruction through hard-hitting research and analyses
* Developing tools for investors and reporters to see which corporations are enabling and profiting from deforestation
around the world
* Working with officials at the federal and state level to craft policy that would put in place strict protections for forests,
biodiversity, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples
And just this month, we led a coalition of farmer, environmental, and antitrust
groups to urge Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to ban large agribusinesses from
exploiting the CARES Act’s $500 billion slush fund -- instead investing stimulus
funds into diverse, sustainable agriculture systems.
Help fight deforestation: Rush an urgent donation of $10 or more to Friends of
the Earth today.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation
will go through immediately:
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We need to move away from the extractive capitalist model that disregards life
and destroys our planet. We also must reimagine our place in the world,
understanding that as humans we are not in some way detached from the greater
web of life.
Our health as humans is connected to the health of our natural world. We, and the ecosystems of which we’re a part, are deeply interdependent.
Our planet’s primary forests contain more carbon dioxide than all of the world’s
oil reserves combined. Serving as massive carbon sinks, they sequester carbon
dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and heating our planet, thus
mitigating the impacts of disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts.
They also make rain, provide medicine, and act as a buffer between humans and an
unknown world of dangerous and potentially lethal viruses.
But instead of seeing these forests as the temples of life that they are, humans
have been cutting them down for palm oil, paper, and soybeans -- which is to
say, for processed foods and factory farms.
And unfortunately, Big Polluters are using the coronavirus to profit by slashing
environmental protections, making people even more susceptible to COVID-19 and
future pandemics.
For many of us, this pandemic is a wake-up call. The time is ripe to overhaul our current systems of extraction, exploitation,
and destruction of our home. It’s time to change the status quo.
Will you join us in the fight? Donate $10 or more to Friends of the Earth today.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation
will go through immediately:
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Thank you,
Jeff Conant,
Senior international forests program manager,
Friends of the Earth
Contact Us:Friends of the Earth U.S.
Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA
1-877-843-8687
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