Did you know that tropical deforestation today is responsible for as much greenhouse gas pollution as all the trucks and cars in the world combined? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that by stopping deforestation and restoring forests, we can reduce global carbon pollution by at least 25%!
And for the indigenous tribes who call the Amazon home, the destruction of the rainforest, and the plants and animals in them, is a profound cultural loss. Sadly, they find themselves in a no-win situation economically. Alternative sources of income are either high value but unsustainable — and often illegal, such as logging and gold mining — or they’re much more sustainable but provide inadequate income.
Your World Rainforest Day gift to EDF’s Summer Match campaign can make FOUR TIMES the difference for the Amazon rainforest AND the people who call it home.
Last year, our forest policy experts helped establish the LEAF (Lowering Emissions and Accelerating Forest Finance) Coalition. In just a few months, LEAF secured commitments from public and private sector participants totaling more than $1 billion to protect tropical and subtropical forests — the largest private investment ever of its kind.
Through the LEAF Coalition, these countries can receive payments for successfully reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Reductions are independently verified and validated against high-integrity standards developed by conservation experts.
Here are just a few of the initial proposals LEAF received:
- In Costa Rica, LEAF may support the country’s target to achieve net zero pollution by 2050 and to expand current forest protection programs that have already proven successful on a smaller scale.
- In Ecuador, LEAF is considering a proposal to decrease the deforestation rate by improving land tenure and by promoting deforestation-free agricultural and livestock production.
- In Nepal, LEAF could support sustainable forest management activities which address the root causes that drive deforestation and forest degradation.
A total of 23 tropical forest jurisdictions are eligible to work with the LEAF Coalition. Collectively, they have the potential to protect up to half a billion hectares of forest — an area larger than the entire European Union!
By making your Summer Match contribution today, you’ll unlock not $2, but $3 with every $1 you contribute to help secure a vital Amazon rainforest — and a vital Earth, for everyone.
Wishing you a day as vibrant and full of life as the rainforests we fight for,
Emily Stevenson
Manager, Online Membership
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