Why it matters
Keeping the Amazon intact is critical if we want to fight global climate change. The Amazon stores immense amounts of carbon, but deforestation threatens its ability to absorb CO2, pushing it toward a dangerous tipping point.
While our field programs in Peru rely on air travel, our Climate Action Plan offsets this impact by safeguarding a vulnerable rainforest area in Northern Peru.
Our plan
We’ve teamed up with OnePlanet to stand with the Indigenous Maijuna in their urgent fight to protect nearly a million acres of pristine rainforest in the Maijuna-Kichwa Regional Conservation Area—the heart of their ancestral homeland.
Through our Climate Action Fund, we’re supporting the Maijuna Federation (FECONAMAI) as they resist a destructive government plan to carve a 130-km road and a massive 10-km-wide development corridor through this critical ecosystem. Together, we can stop this threat and safeguard the Maijuna’s land and legacy. Join us in taking action today!
Base Map Source: Mere Roncal, C., Bowler, M., & Gilmore, M. P. (2018).
The Threat is Real
Construction of the highway has already begun, extending from Iquitos and threatening to slice through the heart of the Maijuna-Kichwa Regional Conservation Area. If completed, this road will expose the Maijuna’s pristine rainforest to oil-palm plantations, colonization, and unchecked development—all without the proper consultation required by Peruvian law.
All donations to our Climate Action Fund support FECONAMAI’s legal fight and grassroots activism to stop this highway and protect Maijuna lands.
What is Morpho Doing?
We offset the travel for all of our participants and faculty by converting miles flown into carbon offset dollars. Here's how we do it.
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 Morpho's contribution for our participants & faculty of our summer field programs
51 participants x $40/participant = $2040 applied to Morpho Institute Climate Action Fund
Join the Effort
Make a difference every time you fly! Calculate your own climate impact using the tools above and donate to our Climate Action Fund. Even better, calculate your total flight miles for the year and make an annual donation!
No time to do the math? Just click on the button below to contribute today. Either way, you can 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!