How Jeff Bezos can help the Amazon (rainforest)
Invest in a digital marketing agency to amplify the voices of climate leaders in the Amazon, combined with a forest-friendly jobs fund to create alternatives to deforestation
Tropical deforestation accounts for 15 to 20% of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When a tree is destroyed, all of the carbon the tree accumulated for tens or even hundreds of years is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, clearing one acre of tropical forest can release as much as 333 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – the equivalent of 72 passenger cars driving for an entire year!
Reducing tropical deforestation is one of the most cost effective, and most underserved, ways to stop climate change.
This is where Jeff Bezos could have a huge impact. And it would be fitting, because he named his company after the Amazon rainforest!
Conservation groups and politicians are losing the messaging battle to agribusiness
Stopping deforestation in the Amazon is complicated due to a combination of politics and economics. On the economics side, the ruralistas (Brazil’s agribusiness lobby) and land speculators earn a lot of money by clearing forests and using it for cattle ranching and soy. On the political side, the ruralistas have convinced many Brazilian voters that development of the Amazon is important for the country. Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil on a platform to essentially bulldoze the Amazon, and deforestation has soared by 30% since he took office.
Historically, conservation efforts in Brazil failed because conservation was seen as an affront to Brazilian sovereignty - the perception was that foreign NGOs were applying pressure to “save Amazon forests, at the cost of Brazilians’ right to economic development.” But from 2005 to 2012, Brazil became a shining star in conservation; deforestation in the Amazon fell by 80% from 2005 to 2012. What changed in the late 2000s was that conservation was driven by a coalition of local Brazilian groups (e.g., indigenous, labor, human rights). They framed conservation as a domestic issue, and successfully convinced local and federal governments to halt deforestation and enforce environmental policies.
But now, indigenous and conservation groups are losing the messaging battle to Bolsonaro and the agribusiness lobby. Even though deforestation contributes surprisingly little to the Brazilian economy (average annual deforestation contributes 0.013% of annual GDP), Bolsonaro and his allies have been very effective at spreading their message online and through social media, with phrases like “the Amazon belongs to Brazil.”
How Jeff Bezos could spend his climate funds on the Amazon
In announcing the Bezos Earth Fund, Jeff Bezos is looking to fund “scientists, activists, NGOs - any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.” Bezos could invest in the following initiatives:
- Fund a digital marketing agency to amplify the messages of local, Amazon-based conservation groups: I know what you are thinking - a digital marketing agency?? A well-funded digital marketing agency can bring creative and digital tools to help local NGOs and civil servants generate popular support for conservation, and help get pro-climate political leaders elected. The most important way to reduce deforestation is by electing climate leaders that can create policies to support conservation.
- Create forest-friendly jobs in the Amazon: Local citizens are more likely to support conservation if they have ways to make money that don't involve deforestation. Bezos can create a fund to train and create forest-friendly jobs for people living in the Amazon, so they can earn a living without having to do cattle ranching, soy farming, or slash and burn agriculture. Potential jobs could include technology, forest monitoring, and sustainable agroforestry.
- Reduce demand for forest-destroying commodities like beef and soy: International markets also play a role in deforestation, so advocacy efforts here in the US are also important. Bezos could fund efforts to increase traceability of commodities that drive tropical deforestation, and advocate for companies to avoid purchasing these products
To save the Amazon, the citizens of Brazil and other Amazonian countries will need to elect political leaders that will prioritize conservation and sustainable development. Local governments are the only ones with the power to improve land tenure laws, enforce environmental rules, and provide alternative economic incentives to not deforest land. Without the right political leadership, deforestation will definitely continue.
An international funder like Jeff Bezos cannot “fix” deforestation, but can help empower local conservation groups to amplify their message, and help these local groups get the best pro-climate leaders elected. In addition, providing funds to create local jobs as an alternative to deforestation will ensure that local residents can support conservation while earning a living.
International funders currently only contribute $1B globally each year to forest conservation and protection, despite its significant contribution to climate change. If spent wisely, a share of Bezos’ $10B commitment to the Amazon could have a meaningful impact on climate, and could give us a playbook for stopping deforestation around the world.
