The Amazon rainforest is on fire. But what does this have to do with McDonald\u2019s, KFC and Burger King? Here are the top five reasons why these fast food giants must take a stand against Amazon destruction:<\/p>\n
5. Because they buy products that fuel forest destruction<\/b><\/p>\n
The Amazon fires are no accident. Close to 2.5 million hectares of land \u2013 an area larger than Wales \u2013 was burned in the Brazilian Amazon during August, according to data published by INPE, Brazil\u2019s agency responsible for monitoring forests from space. Fires were deliberately started by farmers and land grabbers,\u00a0encouraged by President Bolsonaro\u2019s calls to open the Amazon<\/a>\u00a0to agriculture.<\/p>\n From the dense rainforests to the rolling savannas, Brazil\u2019s natural ecosystems are being decimated to produce beef and soya. And McDonald\u2019s, KFC, and Burger King are sourcing vast amounts of these goods. Both Burger King and McDonald\u2019s buy Brazilian beef. All three companies serve chicken fed a diet of soya from Brazil.<\/p>\n 4. Because they promised to stop deforestation \u2013 but haven\u2019t<\/b><\/p>\n McDonald\u2019s, Burger King and KFC all committed to stop\u00a0deforestation<\/a>, but\u00a0they are all failing<\/a>.\u00a0 Not only do they continue to buy from companies with links to forest destruction, including notorious meat-packers who operate in the Amazon. These fast food companies also aggressively build demand for meat, driving deforestation. This encourages agribusiness\u2019 aggressive expansion into the Amazon and other forests around the world.<\/p>\n 3. Because other companies are already taking a stand<\/b><\/p>\n H&M, Timberland and Vans\u00a0won\u2019t use leather from Brazil until<\/a>\u00a0they\u2019re assured that it doesn\u2019t cause environmental harm. The world\u2019s largest salmon producer is\u00a0threatening to stop buying Brazilian soya<\/a>\u00a0for its fish farms. Even in the financial sector, two\u00a0big investment funds<\/a>\u00a0and an\u00a0asset management company<\/a>\u00a0are monitoring or limiting investments in Brazil.<\/p>\n If these companies can take a stand, so too can fast food companies. Burger King, KFC and McDonald\u2019s have no excuse.<\/p>\n 2. Because their pressure could win protection for the Amazon<\/b><\/p>\n The pressure is mounting on President Bolsonaro. People, politicians and companies around the world are speaking out against his attack on the Amazon and those who depend on it. The powerful Brazilian businesses that helped bring Bolsonaro to power are feeling the heat. Their leaders are\u00a0speaking out against Bolsonaro\u2019s response to the fires<\/a>. Bolsonaro has thus far resisted the pressure, but he cannot continue forever.<\/p>\n KFC, McDonald\u2019s and Burger King are among the biggest names in fast food. Their restaurants can be found around the world. If these fast food companies speak out against forest destruction and change their ways, an entire industry could follow, leaving Bolsonaro with no choice but to back off the Amazon.<\/p>\n 1. And we need the Amazon for our survival<\/b><\/p>\n Every person on earth depends on the Amazon to help\u00a0regulate our climate<\/a>. Even McDonald\u2019s, KFC, Burger King need the rainforest.<\/p>\n The Amazon rainforest sucks carbon from the air and stores it in billions of trees. It produces a\u00a0\u201cflying river\u201d of water vapour<\/a>\u00a0that impacts weather\u00a0in other continents<\/a>. It brings rain to otherwise dry regions of South America. It is home to hundreds of Indigenous Peoples, and a staggering diversity of plant and animal species.<\/p>\n Without it, we could face bigger droughts, famines, heatwaves and storms \u2013 and the loss of one of the most magical places on earth. And if that isn\u2019t reason enough, then what is?<\/p>\n