The Amazon rainforest—one of our planet’s most powerful life-support systems—is nearing a dangerous tipping point. Many of us have heard about fires devastating the Amazon, fueled by agricultural and industrial destruction. But did you know that illegal gold mining is also ravaging this ancient forest, threatening the people, climate, and biodiversity it sustains?
And Canada is part of the problem.
A new Greenpeace investigation has revealed that Canada was the #1 importer of gold from Brazil in 2024—much of it likely linked to illegal mining in the Amazon. [1] |
Gold—it shimmers on our fingers, rests in bank vaults, and is seen as an investment for the future. But this gold comes at a steep price—not just for the environment, but for our collective future and the Indigenous communities who call the Amazon home. Mined using toxic mercury, this gold poisons the soil, rivers, and food chain, devastating ecosystems and harming the health of Indigenous peoples and local communities. [2]
Illegal gold mining continues to devastate the Amazon, despite being prohibited in many Indigenous territories. The destruction is not just local—it’s global. The Amazon, which has already lost 17% of its forests, is one of the planet’s most vital climate regulators. [3] Scientists warn that if it loses 20–25% of its forest cover, we risk crossing an irreversible tipping point that could unravel the Amazon’s ability to regulate the planet’s climate, store carbon, and sustain life. [4] |
The reality is stark: soaring gold prices are making mining more profitable than ever, and illegal mining is rapidly increasing. [5] With Canada becoming the largest destination for Brazilian gold exports in 2024, it’s clear that Canadian banks and jewelry stores are fueling this destruction by importing toxic gold from the Amazon, further driving the crisis.
This November, global leaders will meet in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon at COP30, the global UN climate talks. It could be our best chance to turn the tide and get leaders to respect and protect the Amazon rainforest. |
Because gold should never cost us this much,
Salomé
Nature & Biodiversity Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada |
Sources:
[1] Toxic Gold: How Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon Fuels Environmental Destruction, Indigenous Rights Violations, and a Shady Global Trade, Greenpeace Brazil, April 8 2025
[2] Toxic Gold: How Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon Fuels Environmental Destruction, Indigenous Rights Violations, and a Shady Global Trade, Greenpeace Brazil, April 8 2025
[3] Critical transitions in the Amazon forest system, February 2024, Nature
[4] Amazon Tipping Point, February 2018, Science Advances (ResearchGate)
[5] Toxic Gold: How Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon Fuels Environmental Destruction, Indigenous Rights Violations, and a Shady Global Trade, Greenpeace Brazil, April 8 2025 |
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