Why it matters
The rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are changing Earth’s climate, causing flooding, droughts, wildfires, and increasingly turbulent weather patterns throughout the world. The primary sources of CO2 emissions include deforestation and burning of fossil fuels.
Keeping the Amazon intact is critical if we want to fight global climate change. As the world's largest intact tropical rainforest, the Amazon holds huge amounts of carbon in its biomass and soil. But deforestation is rapidly reducing the Amazon's ability to store carbon, leading the Amazon to a potential tipping point at which it releases more carbon than it absorbs.
We can’t feasibly run our field programs in Peru without flying - which requires the use of fossil fuels. However, our Climate Action Plan aims to maximize the positive impact of our travel by helping to protect a highly vulnerable tract of rainforest in Northern Peru.
Our plan
In partnership with OnePlanet, we are supporting the Indigenous Maijuna in their crucial and urgent fight to protect the sanctity of their ancestral homeland - nearly a million acres of intact tropical rainforest within the Maijuna-Kichwa Regional Conservation Area.
We are directing our Climate Action Fund toward helping the Maijuna Federation, Federación de Comunidades Nativas Maijuna (FECONAMAI) in their struggle to halt government plans to build a 130-km-long road and 10-km-wide development corridor that would bisect this vital area.
Base Map Source: Mere Roncal, C., Bowler, M., & Gilmore, M. P. (2018).
The threat is dire
Construction of the road has begun, stretching out from the city of Iquitos. If construction continues as proposed, the highway would bisect the Maijuna conservation area and open its remote core to oil-palm production, colonization, and other types of development. The Maijuna have not been properly consulted about the highway, as required by Peruvian law.
Our Climate Action Fund will contribute to FECONAMAI's legal battle and activism needed to prevent construction of this proposed highway through Maijuna lands.
You can help! Calculate your travel impacts and donate to the Morpho Institute Climate Action Fund.
How we calculate our impact
Step One: Calculate Average Travel Miles per Participant.
1 round-trip trip from Chicago to Iquitos, Peru via Lima = 8820 miles using Air Miles Calculator
Step Two: Conversion to carbon offset dollars per participant
8,000-10,000 air miles = $40/participant using the Terra Pass Flight Carbon Offset Calculator
Step Three: Calculate contribution for participants & faculty of our 2022 programs
28 participants x $40/participant = $1120 applied to Morpho Institute Climate Action Fund
Join the Effort!
Calculate your own climate impact using the tools above and donate to our Climate Action Fund. Your donation will directly support the Maijuna in their fight to save their forest and our efforts to share their story with teachers and students across the USA. Thank you for your support!
Make a difference in the global fight against climate change by keeping this vital forest intact!
Curriculum Resources
Teach about the Amazon, the Maijuna, and Climate Change with resources from the Morpho Institute!