We're Donating $5 from the Sale of Every T-Shirt to Amazon Fire Relief Efforts
Aug 30, 2019
#climate crisis #give back #product
“Our planet is at a critical turning point.
We have an opportunity to transition our society to a sustainable one in harmony with—
and in support of—all life on Earth.”
Brian Sheth, board chair of GWC
Current Landscape in the Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, and about 60% of it lies in Brazil. It is a massive reservoir of carbon, and it is home to the largest concentration of biodiversity on the planet. It plays a major role in the region’s climate, and the global climate as a whole.
Currently the fires raging were mostly started by humans in service of mining, logging, and agriculture. After clearing an area of forest, fires are ignited by farmers using slash-and-burn techniques to help put nutrients in the soil for crops. Fires are also used by illegal loggers and miners to drive indigenous people off their lands.
The Amazon has lost 17% of its land. Scientists predict that if this number raises to 20-25%, a dieback scenario could result where there won't be enough vegetation to move moisture through the ecosystem, thereby causing a savannah.
Cattle ranching is a huge problem as Brazil is now the world’s largest beef exporter after India. In 2018, these exports generated $6.7 billion for the country’s economy. Brazil is also the second-largest producer of soybeans in the world, and about 80 percent of the soy grown in the Amazon is used for animal feed. With China’s recent tariffs on US soybeans, China has increased its appetite for soybeans from Brazil.
Despite international concern and pressure, the fate of the Amazon rests mainly on the political and economic forces, i.e., Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government has drastically reduced its enforcement of environmental laws. Think the Brazilian version of Donald Trump. It will take a lot of public pressure from Brazilians to change the situation.
The Economics
Current worldwide donations total $20 million, a small amount when compared to the $945 million raise for the rebuilding of Notre Dame.
In a study published last year in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists in Brazil predicted that a dieback in the Amazon would cost between $957 billion and $3.59 trillion over 30 years. Way more than beef would ever raise and total devastation for the planet.
What We're Doing to Help
Our duty as SoulJours is to protect Mother Nature. After careful research, we've decided to donate $5 from the sale of every shirt for the entire month of September to Earth Alliance. This new organization was formed to help address the urgent threats to our planet’s life support systems by founding co-chairs: environmental activist and Academy Award®-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, businesswoman and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, and investor and philanthropist Brian Sheth.
The Alliance convenes the communicating power of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) with the talent and capacities of Emerson Collective and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) – marking the next stage of LDF’s growth as its staff and operations fold under Earth Alliance to power its future. It will be led by a newly appointed, independent management team of globally renowned scientists and conservationists who will work globally to protect ecosystems and wildlife, ensure climate justice, support renewable energy, and secure indigenous rights to the benefit of all life on Earth.
The Sheth Sangreal Foundation, founded by investor and philanthropist Brian Sheth, will fund operational and administrative costs for the Alliance, allowing 100 percent of additional funding to go directly to environmental programs, grants and public campaigns in support of the Alliance’s critical mission.
Read the Press Release for all the details
We chose this foundation over many other longer standing ones because we feel they have a huge global voice and enough backing and strength to actually make a difference in the world's climate problems.
Help us make a difference by purchasing any SoulJour t-shirt all month long!
Learn More about the current Amazon situation
Follow Earth Alliance on Facebook
Photos Courtesy of CNN
