Amazon Rainforest on Fire

It feels like the world is on fire right now – and in so many ways, it is.

This summer, like many folks, I watched the news in horror as wildfires tore through Jasper National Park in Canada, leaving destruction in their wake. Entire ecosystems were devastated, and local communities are still recovering. These weren’t just natural wildfires – human actions and climate change fueled them. The forests that once stood strong absorbing carbon and keeping the climate in check, are now being bulldozed for fossil fuel projects or logging for the biomass industry – leaving behind fast-growing, fragile trees that can’t handle the heat and feed the flames. Watching the disaster unfold felt like a punch to the gut, but this was just the beginning.

Thousands of miles away, in the heart of Peru, fires are raging again – in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. A state of emergency has been declared in the Amazon. And just like Jasper, these fires, like so much of the climate crisis, are man-made. The rainforest is being cleared for oil and gas extraction, along with livestock and grain production. Fossil fuel extraction and expansion led the industrial push into Amazonia, threatening the environment and the people who have stewarded these lands for generations.

The Amazon, the lungs of our planet, is burning.

And with every acre lost, it feels like the planet itself is struggling to breathe – edging us closer to a tipping point. The rich biodiversity that could help stabilize our climate is being reduced to ashes. This isn’t a fire that will just burn out – it’s the destruction of entire ecosystems and the livelihoods of Indigenous and frontline communities. Without the Amazon, there is no stable climate. It’s as simple as that.

But here’s what keeps me going: it doesn’t have to be this way. We know the solution. We need to stop fossil fuel expansion, guarantee the permanent protection of Indigenous and traditional lands, and slam the brakes on industrial development in the world’s forests.

At the last United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at COP15 – a major international conference where global leaders come together to address biodiversity loss—we fought tooth and nail to ensure Indigenous Territories were included in the Global Biodiversity Framework. And we won. That victory acknowledged Indigenous Peoples’ critical role in protecting ecosystems vital to our planet’s survival.

So why am I sharing all of this with you?

Because despite the devastation we’ve seen, there’s a real opportunity ahead, which gives me great hope. As COP16 in Cali, Colombia, approaches, we’re getting ready to fight again. It’s time to turn the promises made in the Global Biodiversity Framework into real, on-the-ground action. Our team is working around the clock to secure key meetings with decision-makers from Colombia, Peru, and other crucial regions. We’re pushing to ensure that forests are protected and life-sustaining biodiversity gets the attention it desperately needs.

My Friend, there’s so much more to this story. The Stand Forest team is working closely with our Indigenous partners on the ground to amplify and push forward an ambitious plan to protect northern forests and Amazonia. In the coming weeks, you’ll see it unfold.

With grit and determination,

Matt Krogh (he/him)
Amazon Campaign Director
Stand.earth