In 2019 alone 906 hectares of Amazon Rainforest had been lost to the forest fire. The 2020 documentary Takeout takes a closer look to find reasons that are fueling this havoc. Takeout has been directed by Michal Siewierski and provides in-depth research and analysis and believe me when I say this that “shocking” is a mild adjective to describe the findings.
A Devastating Summary of Events
Soy is a crop that forms an essential part of animal feed. About 3 quarters of the world’s soy production is used as animal feed. That makes it about a million tonnes per year. The animals we are talking about are basically livestock, poultry, etc. With a drastic increase in the number of nonveg eaters today there is an increase in livestock and poultry farming. To sustain the animals you need food. Henceforth the production of soy has also seen a tremendous rise in recent years. The farmers are burning the forest cover so as to get more land for soy farming. Yes, there are better ways available than to set the forest of fire which after a point becomes impossible to stop and causes unprecedented damage. But it is the easiest way available. So why care for a stupid and irrelevant thing like forest cover when you can make your business thrive by burning them?
The Amazon Forest
The Amazon Forest is called the lungs of the world for a reason. Over millions of species cohabit the rich ecosystem. Apart from the rich flora and fauna, the area is also inhabited by a lot of indigenous tribes. The trees serve as an absorption layer for all the carbon dioxide. When the forests are cut this carbon dioxide is released into the environment. Also, the soil gets deprived of its nutrients and loses its fertility over a period of time. With nowhere to go it also becomes hard for the animals who have no other option other than infiltrating the areas in which human habitation exists and in turn getting killed.
The Political Indulgence
It becomes very important at such an hour that the government agencies take proper steps to control the destruction. But instead of aiding the process of conservation, the Brazilian government has consciously taken steps to impede the initiatives taken by environmentalists. In fact, Brazil has been known as the deadliest country for environmentalists. And it goes beyond just obstructing their work. Killings of these conservationists have been orchestrated in Brazil in an organized manner. But why does it happen?
According to a 2019 report, approximately 8.5 percent of Brazil’s GDP is represented by the meat industry and it has become the largest exporter of beef. And it is our stupidity that we believe that we can destroy a part of the natural world and it won’t affect us.
Takeout reveals to us the reality of Human Greed.
Marching Towards an Inevitable Ending
If we keep destroying the forests it is for certain that we would bring our doom earlier than we expect. This is not progress. This is anything but civilization. This is more abuse and just because nature cannot speak our language doesn’t mean that we exploit it like savages. We will have to repay for this sooner or later. Today celebrities and global icons are encouraging us to stop eating meat. I personally don’t know whether we would be ever able to look beyond our individualistic gains. I don’t know whether we would be able to sacrifice our desires for a dubious proposition as saving the planet. We still find it far-fetched that our actions can directly destroy this planet.
But I know one thing for sure that if we didn’t start retreating now then our blood-soaked footsteps would turn some untamable forces against us. And then the only options left would be to mull over the travesty of our actions.
Takeout is a 2020 documentary film directed by Michal Siewierski. It is available for Video On Demand.
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