Yes, there’s a day for almost everything, so you might say to yourself, “why is World Rainforest Day important?” And I’ll tell you. There are 10 major rainforests in the world, all of which need our protection. As we have seen in recent years, from toxic air to melting glaciers to unpredictable weather to raging fires, and so much more, climate change has become something so obviously harmful that even big business and corrupt politicians cannot continue to lie about it. Rainforests produce such a significant amount of the world’s oxygen, that they help mollify climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. The effective process of cycling water through the rainforest’s networks of trees creates currents that transport water through entire continents, cooling them down and giving a reliable water source. These rainforests protect land from erosion, drought, and floods and sooth the conditions of their perimeter in relative stability. Rainforests also pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to store it in trees and soil, where it is safely used healthily by living organisms.
So rainforests help us work on the climate change issues we are having. If that was the only reason it would be significant, but there’s more. Over 50 % of our planet’s biodiversity is found in rainforests, and rainforests help us create food, hygiene products and medicines, among other things. There are also people who live in the rainforest. Many indigenous tribes have already been driven out of much of their land, people have been killed, and lifestyles have been destroyed by our commercial needs to pave over natural places and produce food for Macdonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and other fast food conglomerates. Any child who’s read the Lorax can easily understand why we need to care about our environment, but somehow as we grow older, we put it out of our consciousness, thinking that if we’re not actually cutting down trees or displacing peoples or starving wildlife, we’re not responsible.
Of course, knowing that we are all responsible to different degrees might just sound like a guilt trip and that’s not the desire of this. It’s first to give information and second to give impetus to do anything that we can do to be a little better. To care a little more. As we all have such potential to learn and grow a bit each day.
It’s not always on the forefront of our minds, but we all know that to ensure a flourishing planet that can care for our expanding numbers, we need to be involved in the recovery of ecosystems that have been dirtied and destroyed, while conserving those that are still unspoiled. By planting trees or removing obstacles so that nature can recover on its own, or by creating new economic and agricultural systems that have nature at its core, by voting and holding politicians accountable, by educating ourselves, and others, and seeking out awareness, there are many ways we can work on this.
In 2017, the Rainforest Partnership founded World Rainforest Day in order to celebrate the importance of healthy, persevering rainforests for climate biodiversity, culture, and livelihood. They champion a global movement to protect and restore them, and in 2021 launched the World Rainforest Day Global Summit, bringing together people and organizations from all sectors for dialogue and community building with one shared purpose, as a catalyst for action and a unification of forest protection. A holistic healing. The World Rainforest Day Summit will take place on June 21-22 (western hemisphere) or June 22-23 (eastern hemisphere). According to their website, all events will be recorded and available on demand indefinitely on the World Rainforest Day website and YouTube. My source for much of this information and the place where you can find out even more is
