Letter: 12-year-old urges preservation of Amazon rainforest
The following is a submitted letter to the editor from a 12-year-old reader who asked to remain anonymous. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Kingstonist.
Dear Editor,
I am interested in saving the Amazon Rainforest from destruction and pollution, and I have made this list of things we can do to help. I am only 12 years old, so I obviously won’t be surprised if this is not published, but that is my hope. Here it is:
The Amazon Rainforest is being destroyed right this minute. It is a huge, beautiful ecosystem, and people are chopping and bulldozing it. At this rate of destruction, the whole thing will be gone in only 79 years. I am telling all the parents of babies that if we just sit around and do nothing, that baby will probably live to see the end of the Rainforest. That is why we need to take action.
Here are some things we can do to make a difference:
- Eat less food from deforestation sites. Cattle and soybeans are two of the main things that are farmed and grown there. You can eat less beef, or buy it from a local farm. You can also eat less soy products, such as soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, and soy nuts.
- Donate to a company that preserves the rainforest. Places like the Rainforest Trust use the money to buy areas of the rainforest, and don’t let the deforestation companies have them.
- Reduce your carbon footprint. Using LED lights, and making less garbage (more recycling) are good ways to have a smaller carbon footprint. By reducing it, you are reducing the amount of gases that trap the sun’s heat in the earth’s atmosphere, which is what causes global warming.
- Change the laws. Deforestation should be illegal, and companies that do it should go to prison, but for some odd reason that is not the case. If we protest enough, maybe we can get the federal government of Brazil to make laws against deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest.
Those are a few things to do, and if we all participate, we might be able to save the rainforest! That is what I have written for this newspaper.
— An anonymous 12-year-old from Kingston
Well written, and great ideas!
Thank you Anonymous 12 yr old…. for opening my eyes a bit wider. Your tips are much appreciated and give me motivation to do more! Keep shining your light on the rainforest and trust that good things will come….
Excellent letter. Young people again show leadership many politicians don’t. We have our own problems in Canada such as the continuation of old growth logging in BC. With such backwards views, it is not surprising that BC etc suffer from annual destructive forest fires, not to mention the current heat bubble which is literally killing people.