The Iamsterdam sign was back on Museumplein in Amsterdam for a day to spell out Iamazonia.

Don’t let the Amazon disappear

When the Iamsterdam sign disappeared, people from all over voiced their upset. Well, Greenpeace bought the sign back temporarily, this time spelling out Iamazonia, to raise awareness for something that we should not allow to disappear, namely the Amazon rainforest!

If the Amazon rainforest disappears, it won’t pop up again like the Iamsterdam sign and the consequences will be disastrous. We need the Amazon rainforest to help fight global warming. If more of it is cut down, the climate crisis will only be exacerbated and all of us will feel the effects.

The sign “Iamazonia” stands for a deep respect for the indigenous communities. Where indigenous communities have land rights, the forest and its biodiversity is the most intact. Greenpeace is calling on the rest of the world to show solidarity with them.

The Amazon rainforest is under threat

The Brazilian government wants to open the Amazon rainforest up to industrial agriculture, logging, livestock farming and mining. Currently, the EU is negotiating what will be its biggest trade deal ever with a few South American countries, including Brazil (the EU-Mercosurdeal). While this means that, for example, meat will more easily reach the EU market, deforestation is necessary for that industry- something that needs to be prevented.

Thumb: © Marten van Dijl / Greenpeace