Burn. Eat. Repeat.

Forests aren’t just burning, they’re being burned down on purpose. Global forest destruction surged to terrifying new heights in 2024, driven overwhelmingly by fires exacerbated by human-induced climate breakdown. But, hidden behind the headlines about wildfires lies a deeper truth: animal agriculture is the fuel stoking this catastrophic blaze.

Last year, we watched helplessly as forests from the Brazilian Amazon to the Siberian taiga vanished at record-breaking rates, destroying ecosystems that had stood untouched for millennia. According to alarming data from Global Forest Watch, tropical regions, the planet’s most biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems, suffered unprecedented fire-induced devastation. An area equivalent to the size of Italy was wiped out in just twelve months.

This isn’t nature reclaiming its territory; tropical forests don’t naturally burn like this. These fires are deliberately sparked to clear land for animal agriculture, primarily cattle ranching and crops grown to feed 'livestock', such as soya. Animal agriculture isn't merely a participant, it's the central culprit.

In Brazil alone, forest loss skyrocketed, accounting for an appalling 42% of all tropical primary rainforest destruction. More than 25,000 square kilometres of irreplaceable Amazon rainforest vanished in smoke and flame, surpassing even the catastrophic deforestation rates under Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. Despite hollow pledges by world leaders at climate conferences to halt deforestation, animal agriculture's unchecked expansion ensures forests keep burning.

Bolivia, too, has become a grim example. The loss of previously untouched forest surged nearly fivefold since 2020, driven by aggressive government policies pushing cattle ranching and soya farming to destructive new limits. These are the direct consequences of prioritising profit and animal exploitation over planetary survival.

In Africa, the Congo basin, the world's second-largest rainforest, is also bleeding out. Countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Congo-Brazzaville hit record forest losses as animal agriculture encroaches, cutting deeper into ecosystems vital for climate stability and wildlife protection. These losses don’t just endanger forests; they accelerate climate breakdown by releasing massive stores of carbon, locking humanity in a dangerous feedback loop that intensifies warming, dries forests further, and ignites even more destructive fires.

Despite the alarming data and the visible devastation, governments and industries stubbornly refuse to confront the reality: consuming animals destroys our world. We hear about "global red alerts" from experts like Elizabeth Goldman of Global Forest Watch, yet meaningful action remains absent. Pledges to halt deforestation are meaningless unless we address the primary driver: our use and commodification of animals.

Even areas once celebrated for conservation successes, like Indonesia and Malaysia, remain vulnerable. Temporary reductions in forest loss are fragile victories when global demand for animal-derived products, flesh, lactate, skin, continues to rise. The solution isn’t found in incremental reforms or "sustainable" labels slapped onto products of exploitation. The solution demands abolition.

If humanity is serious about saving forests, halting climate collapse, and preserving life on Earth, we must dismantle the system that commodifies animals. Ending animal agriculture isn’t extreme, it's necessary. The uncomfortable truth is this: every animal product consumed fans the flames destroying our planet. Animal agriculture isn’t feeding us; it's killing us.

We don’t need better ways to exploit animals. We need justice. We need liberation. And we need it now, before the fires burn everything we cherish beyond recognition.