Amazon is the biggest remaining forest in the world, and yet it suffers from deforestation. This process alone is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the whole of Brazil, also contributing to another ecological problem: climate change. Between August last year and July, deforestation reached 9.762 km², 30% higher than the same period in previous years.

Deforestation causes habitat loss, and according to the Living Report 2018 from WWF, this is the major cause of biodiversity loss. We can track the source of this impact, once a great part has as responsible cattle ranching and soy production.

In reality, beef production is the biggest driver of deforestation worldwide according to WWF, being followed by soy production, which has also a big impact in the rain forest. Soy expansion in the Amazon started in the late 90s, and it is considered a great problem nowadays. Around 80% of the soybeans production is used to feed cattle though, uncovering the real reason for deforestation as being the cattle production.

How can we help reduce deforestation in Amazonia? The answer sounds simple but is hard to apply: reducing beef consumption. Annually, only Russia imports 321 tonnes of beef from Brazil, followed by Hong Kong with 260 tonnes.

As a society, we should balance if the current lifestyle can be sustainable over the years to come, as we can face a great ecological crisis in the next decades.

Would you like to read more?

The Meat Mystery
Living Planet Report 2018
WWF - History of Soy
Greenpeace - Save the Amazon Rainforest partnership
Rainforest partnership on The Beef Industry