We are living in a world on fire. Over the past year, over 1,000 major fires have ravaged the Amazon rainforest, destroying millions of acres. At the same time, the North American west has seen its most destructive wildfire season in recorded history.

Deforestation, fires, and the exploitation of Indigenous lands across the globe are intimately linked. Unlike the wildfires elsewhere, major fires in the Amazon are typically set deliberately to clear areas that have been deforested, often as a result of land grabs of Indigenous territories to benefit the agribusiness, mining, and fossil fuel industries.

The resulting carbon emissions contribute to climate change, exacerbating wildfires around the world. In short, the destruction of the Amazon drives a vicious cycle of global climate chaos.

Politicians like Brazil's Bolsonaro bear much of the blame. However, global financial institutions have been equally complicit in driving the destruction of the Amazon and dispossession of its Indigenous peoples. In particular, three financial institutions are pouring money into Amazon destruction: BlackRock, Vanguard, and JPMorgan Chase.