I’ve been challenged in lectures I give, even by scientists, who said, “Ricardo, this cause of yours is minor. We’re discussing the survival of extremely important biomes.” And I said, “Buddy, who decides whether the biome will be preserved or not? Do you think the landowners in the Amazon live on their farms? They don’t. They live in rich neighborhoods in São Paulo.”

Most of the people who elect the politicians who will care about what’s left outside the cities are urban dwellers. If, since childhood, they saw (native) embaúbas and juçara palm trees, you create a bond between people and their territory.

If we don’t convince city dwellers that our biodiversity is incredible, wonderful, and worth preserving, it won’t be.

I think this is incredibly important to remember. It exemplifies two sayings that are not just advice for activism but antidotes to despair: the personal is political, and all politics are local. Your little pollinator garden, your plant-based meals, your creek cleanup project, will have ripple effects far beyond their immediate impact on the environment, because of how it impacts the social environment and the people around you.

And on a side note, using an AI generated TLDR is almost painfully ironic given the content. I’m not really a fan.