Amazon rainforest fires boosted Ecosia search engine installs 1150%

Ecosia pledges a million extra trees in six months in response to President Bolsonaro’s anti-environmental policies

By Jane Dalton Source: www.independent.co.uk

#AmazonRainforestFires #Ecosia #SearchEngine #AntiEnvironmentalPolicies

Amazon rainforest fires

A search engine that puts advertising profits towards planting trees had a surge in users reportedly of 1,150 per cent because of the fires devastating the Amazon rainforests.

Ecosia, which donates most of its revenue to reforestation, enjoyed a spike in popularity last week in response to worldwide alarm over the destruction in Brazil and neighbouring countries.

The rush by internet users to help tree-planting emerged as G7countries agreed to create a $20m (£16.3m) fund to help Amazon countries fight wildfires. 

The search engine, whose projects include the Atlantic Forest on Brazil’s east coast, says it can plant a tree every 0.8 seconds thanks to a rise in downloads of its search app and browser extension over recent months. 

In reaction to the policies of President Bolsonaro, which have driven tree loss, Ecosia says it has committed to planting a million extra trees in Brazil over six months, reconnecting remaining forest patches. Although the area is 2,500 miles from the Amazon, the company says deforestation there is “oppressive”.