Leo hit the nail on the head this weekend when he called on the world to take climate change seriously.
In his Academy Awards acceptance speech for Best Actor in The Revenant, he urged the world to stop procrastinating and to take immediate action to protect our planet for future generations, and for those who have been silenced by the politics of greed.
His message is incredibly important and should not be taken lightly.
It’s easy to get caught up in our daily struggles and challenges, and to assume that someone else will handle this problem. But global citizens, you need to understand that what you do makes a difference and that any amount of climate change action, no matter how big or small, will have a positive impact on the world.
Jane Goodall sums it up quite perfectly:
“You cannot go through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
And Robert Swan makes an important point too:
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
If you’re feeling inspired by Leo, Jane and Robert and want to take action today, we have something you can do this very moment to protect the planet and fight climate change:
Save a forest.
Why?
Because protecting the world’s forests is one of the most effective things you as an individual can do to take climate change action.
How can you get involved?
STAND FOR TREES!
Stand For Trees is a global community of people taking direct action to protect forests and combat climate change.
FYI: deforestation (the mass clearing of forests) = one of the biggest drivers of climate change.
Think of it as a global, grassroots intervention to halt deforestation.
We’ve put the power of change into your hands. No more waiting around for others to solve this problem.
How it works
Every time you purchase a Stand For Trees Certificate, you help local forest communities around the world keep a specific forest standing and prevent a tonne of CO2 from entering the earth's atmosphere.
Stand For Trees Certificates are high-quality verified emission reductions (VERs) based on the proven REDD+ model and meet the rigorous standards set by the Verified Carbon Standard.
Proceeds from Stand For Trees Certificates fund the development of sustainable livelihoods and the protection of forests in specific REDD+ projects in various locations around the world.
REDD+ funding already has been used to, among other things, build schools and medical clinics, dig clean-water wells, and train and equip forest rangers to prevent illegal logging and animal poaching.
The ultimate goal of the REDD+ mechanism and Stand For Trees is to provide incentives for local landowners and communities in developing countries to keep their forests standing rather than cutting them down.
Why taking action matters
The fact is, when we stand together and use our purchasing power to support Stand For Trees Projects, we are shifting the economics so that trees are worth more alive than they are dead. And we help communities protect their forests for the long-term benefit for the many versus the short-term depletion by the few.
Taking action to protect threatened forests has benefits that go beyond climate mitigation (although that’s significant in itself) - including empowering local and indigenous communities, preserving biodiversity hotspots, reducing extreme poverty and protecting endangered wildlife.
Click here to learn more about how Stand For Trees works and take action TODAY!!
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.