7. Invest in Rainforest Communities
Nearly 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been deforested, and forest scientists are saying that if it reaches a 40% level of deforestation, the forest will enter a process of desertification that is irreversible. The Rainforest Action Network, based in San Francisco, has a “Protect-an-Acre” program which provides funding to help forest peoples gain legal recognition of their territories. It also helps them to develop locally-based economic alternatives, and resist intrusions by the loggers and oil companies, who are after their land. This is a very specific initiative that you can support now, that will have a specific impact.