The Amazon rainforest is on fire. But what does this have to do with McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King? Here are the top five reasons why these fast food giants must take a stand against Amazon destruction:
5. Because they buy products that fuel forest destruction
The Amazon fires are no accident. Close to 2.5 million hectares of land – an area larger than Wales – was burned in the Brazilian Amazon during August, according to data published by INPE, Brazil’s agency responsible for monitoring forests from space. Fires were deliberately started by farmers and land grabbers, encouraged by President Bolsonaro’s calls to open the Amazon to agriculture.
From the dense rainforests to the rolling savannas, Brazil’s natural ecosystems are being decimated to produce beef and soya. And McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King are sourcing vast amounts of these goods. Both Burger King and McDonald’s buy Brazilian beef. All three companies serve chicken fed a diet of soya from Brazil.
4. Because they promised to stop deforestation – but haven’t
McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC all committed to stop deforestation, but they are all failing. 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’ aggressive expansion into the Amazon and other forests around the world.
3. Because other companies are already taking a stand
H&M, Timberland and Vans won’t use leather from Brazil until they’re assured that it doesn’t cause environmental harm. The world’s largest salmon producer is threatening to stop buying Brazilian soya for its fish farms. Even in the financial sector, two big investment funds and an asset management company are monitoring or limiting investments in Brazil.
If these companies can take a stand, so too can fast food companies. Burger King, KFC and McDonald’s have no excuse.
2. Because their pressure could win protection for the Amazon
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 speaking out against Bolsonaro’s response to the fires. Bolsonaro has thus far resisted the pressure, but he cannot continue forever.
KFC, McDonald’s 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.
1. And we need the Amazon for our survival
Every person on earth depends on the Amazon to help regulate our climate. Even McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King need the rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest sucks carbon from the air and stores it in billions of trees. It produces a “flying river” of water vapour that impacts weather in other continents. 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.
Without it, we could face bigger droughts, famines, heatwaves and storms – and the loss of one of the most magical places on earth. And if that isn’t reason enough, then what is?
Reykia Fick is a Global Communications Lead at Greenpeace UK
Losing the Amazon means losing the home of Indigenous and traditional communities, precious habitats, and the fight against climate change.
Discussion
Press for an end to deforestation!
Whether it be global warming, the current pandemic or greed for higher and higher profits, human nature viewed in terms of its negative aspects must, of necessity, be factored in to a serious examination of the above and so many other global problems. Humans have evolved over hundreds of years developing from hunters and gatherers to organizing themselves into towns and later cities to more and better agricultural advances to machines of the Industrial Revolution, atomic energy and the Information Age. We have employed many of these advances for both peaceful uses and war. During this long period--especially during the last 200 years or so--we have given relatively little thought to shoring up this hole we have been digging deeper and deeper into, that is, dealing with the attendant global problems associated with all this development (destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, contamination of the atmosphere and oceans as well as other bodies of water, global warming to mention a few). Now it is time to pay the piper, to confront the damage caused by all these centuries of development, to stop talking and start acting. Now is the time to clean up the mess, to listen to the millenials and even the children who will inherit this mess created by the generations currently in charge and their predecessors. And this is where the positive side of human nature comes in. We just seem to be too busy amassing profits, making a living, supporting our families, keeping up with the Joneses or simply trying to survive. The pandemic has not made it easier. The final cost of fighting the virus is estimated by one source as approximately 17 trillion dollars, but amazingly a significant number of people in the US and other countries still believe it is a hoax perpetrated by the press, Trump, or other equally inane excuses like "I have to die from something so...." So no masks, social distancing or other protective measures and denial--and a US map of the spreading virus covered in red. Why look seriously at successful measures taken by other countries. Again, American exceptionalism (solutions in this case) are always best even when they clearly are not. Strict mandating of the above protective measures is just not part of the American psyche. American exceptionalism is. After all, very important not to offend TV or media source audiences, voters, etc., that is, American sensitivities by talking too harshly about strong, sensible protective measures that, according to the scientific community could dramatically reduce the spread of the virus. Concluding, the positive elements of human nature which, admittedly, created all the developments alluded to above, must now be harnessed into massive creative projects intended to save the planet. We have seen the incredible power of humans working together to defeat a common enemy, whether an economic depression, a belligerent foe or even an epidemic/pandemic. So easy to stand by--occupied by personal concerns-- and watch a UK village slowly being devoured by the sea; or a city like Miami inundated by the Atlantic. What is the answer? A redirected human nature. After all, eventually there may not be a choice.
Horrible indeed! We must get organized. I have not the money but will try to do this; In case some readers have the possibility please write to [email protected] or facebook. I have a domain called 'oneforall-allforone.org. I believe in; 1) An app or homepage where people with a sense of limited time may select a timeframe of for instance 1, 3 or 5 minutes can feel the value of their input, in order to start to make a difference and a habit of every day, which easily may increase. They can here sign a lot of petitions, (my intention was to make it easy to sign several petitions at once- with one signature). They/we may select other products in the grocery, and select where you invest money, and what energy sources are used. etc. 2) Bill Gates or other media moguls will hopefully through a petition create an electronic direct democracy, in order to enable EVERYONE to directly tell whether you will put an end of the destruction of the world's ecosystems: (EDD) (also known as open-source governance or collaborative e-democracy), the people are directly involved in the legislative function by electronic means. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-democracy#Electronic_direct_democracy)
We are going to all die because of greed from huge companies. I truly hope the brazillian president is removed from office by any means nessicary aside from the people hes killing millions of animals some that are not even discovered yet there was a new frog found not even 8 months ago in the forest and now heres the fires wiping them out man touches and discovers and man destroys everything it touches and discovers...
Junk food is a must in the whole world, tragically. People should stop eating garbage, and buying products that use palm oil in their composition or manufacturing. That includes brands like Nestlé, Mondelez, Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, L’Oreal, Mars, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever. Rain forests in east asia (Indonesia, Thailand) have been destroyed for decades, to produce this tragedy, meaning mass extinction of animals and environment. Few people care about it. The human race, in the majority of "developed countries", keeps on growing the mass consuming of these harmful and unnecessary products. World must Stop this Now!!! Maybe there's still enough time to save our planet.