An Open Letter to Amazon Watch and their Supporters
By Lili Trenkova
Amazon Watch (AW) recently released a response to the inquiries they’ve been receiving as to why they are not addressing the leading cause of Amazon deforestation, which we know from a World Bank Publications study, is animal agriculture. While we’re glad they are finally even mentioning the topic, we are nothing but underwhelmed and disappointed by their statements.
For starters, AW still does not acknowledge the fact that acre-for-acre animal agriculture is responsible for more deforested land than oil and gas extraction, dams, or infrastructure (roads). Livestock requires tremendously more land to live on, feed on and get slaughtered. Yet, AW still does not acknowledge animal agriculture as the number one factor in the destruction of the South American rainforests and as one of the top perpetrators of oppression of non-humans and humans.
Instead, AW now insists that infrastructure (roads) is what brings destructive industries along. While surely roads do cause destruction, they are simply not a precursor to industrial development; quite the opposite – they follow such development. If an industry invests in land (whether it’s animal agriculture or oil/gas), they do so because they know there’s profit to be had regardless of its accessibility. Once invested, they build whatever infrastructure they need to get the most money out of their investment. This is the same strategy practiced by colonizers for thousands of years: invade, then develop, not the other way around.
What we would like to see AW do is publicly recognize the impact animal agriculture has on all of the Amazon. We would like for them to ask their supporters to take a stand against the industry, in the same way they have asked them to take a stand against oil magnates and dam projects – and to encourage them to change their behavior to reflect their values. If we truly want to live on a hospitable Earth, we simply cannot live our lives according to oppressive systems of consumption and violence.
As AW has previously stated, they do not primarily work in areas affected by animal agriculture. They do indeed provide phenomenal support to indigenous communities, and the intent of this writing is not to discredit any of their efforts. It is unfortunate, however, that they will still not take a stance against the largest contributor to deforestation of the rest of the Amazon – simply because they work in those other areas.
What we would like to see AW do is publicly recognize the impact animal agriculture has on all of the Amazon. We would like for them to ask their supporters to take a stand against the industry, in the same way they have asked them to take a stand against oil magnates and dam projects – and to encourage them to change their behavior to reflect their values. If we truly want to live on a hospitable Earth, we simply cannot live our lives according to oppressive systems of consumption and violence. And yes, this includes ceasing to use and treat non-human animals as “products”.
(photo credit Green Peace)
Sure, AW might initially lose some donor support if they began advocating for plant-based living and anti-consumerism. But is this really all that different from what the AW core values are? Isn’t this precisely what AW works towards, by helping indigenous communities reclaim their pre-colonization way of living? AW would certainly gain more in the long run by upholding their integrity. AW could easily become pioneers in what we all know is the right thing to do – restore the planet, protect its residents, and learn to live with, not above nature.
**Take a look at a Collectively Free’s Disruption at an Amazon Watch event.**