The planet, our shared home, is facing real crisis as the global warming starts taking its toll. The long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system leads to heat waves, sea-level rise, flooding, melting glaciers, earlier spring arrival, coral reef bleaching, and the spread of diseases.
The rainforests prevent all this by storing the Earth’s rainwater and releasing it back into the atmosphere.
The fact that the rainforests are in danger of being destroyed for the sake of the profit of the oil companies should be enough concern for all of us to take action.
An Indigenous tribe of people called the Waorani, native of the Ecuadorian Amazon made history when they won a lawsuit that protected more than half a million acres of forest land from being mined for oil drilling.
The Ecuadorian government planned on drilling for oil over an area that spanned seven million acres of rinforest. The Waorani stood for their home and got the support of famous names who are fighting for our planet, among which Leonardo DiCaprio. Before the huge landmark victory for the rainforest, the actor Twitted:
“The Waorani people are one day away from saving half-a-million acres of forest from oil drilling. Watch the video and send a message to Ecuador’s government: protect indigenous rights & the Amazon.”
The Waorani people are one day away from saving half-a-million acres of forest from oil drilling. Watch the video and send a message to Ecuador’s government: protect indigenous rights & the Amazon. https://t.co/EMnWv8Bqng @AFrontlines #WeLoveTheEarth #WaoraniResistance pic.twitter.com/qlv5uY6Pg0
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) April 25, 2019
Oswando Nenquimo, a spokesperson for the Waorani of Pastaza released a statement saying:
“Today we have protected our forest from oil drilling; we have protected our water from contamination; we have protected our children from sickness. This is a legal precedent for indigenous rights.”
“But the fight is far from over. The government will appeal because they still want the oil beneath our land. Indigenous Nations across the Amazon and the world must band together to protect our homes.”
This story and what the tribe achieved gives humanity a sparkle of hope that things for our planet could still turn for the better. What we should all do is try to keep it as clean as possible and fight for the raisnforests.