Forests are cool. Not only do they literally cool the planet by soaking up gigatons worth of carbon every day, new scientific research has proven that from roots to leaves the sheer physical existence of trees consistently lowers the planet’s temperature by 0.5 to 1.0 degree celsius.
It’s alarming, then, that so many trees are being felled worldwide. The Amazon rainforest is rapidly approaching a tipping point of deforestation, which, if passed, would spell disaster for us all. Without forests, how can we ever hope to combat climate change?
Recently-released National Geographic film “The Territory” shows up close the fight happening on the ground to protect the Amazon from illegal land-grabs and deforestation. The Uru-eu-wau-wau indigenous community today, like their ancestors, live in sustainable harmony with the forest around them. But as loggers become emboldened to encroach, the Uru-eu-wau-wau are the first and hardest hit.
The Territory’s impact campaign is working together with the Uru-eu-wau-wau, and many partners globally, to empower indigenous voices on the international climate policy stage and stimulate stronger and more ambitious efforts to protect the Amazon from the range of threats that it faces.
In 2022, the EU will debate a new regulation for deforestation-free products, the UN Forum on Forests has an opportunity to finance indigenous-led forest conservation projects, and the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 could completely re-centre indigenous peoples in all actions taken under the Paris Agreement. These are just some of the opportunities we are targeting.
Indigenous peoples are the best guardians of the forests, and hold the key to Earth’s survival. To get politicians, business leaders and people everywhere to listen to their experience and wisdom – for us, that is really cool.
