I first encountered Philip Fearnside’s name while writing my book about tropical rainforests in the 1990s.
His work seemed to come up whenever I searched for papers on deforestation, dams, and roads in the Amazon. Its depth and breadth stood out.
Naturally, when I began conducting interviews for Mongabay’s news service in the mid-2000s, Fearnside was one of the first people I contacted. He was extremely responsive and generous with his time, especially given how little-known Mongabay was back then.
In our 2006 interview, he discussed the risk of climate change causing a catastrophic die-off of the Amazon, the folly of valuing the forest only in terms of mahogany, soybeans, or cattle, and its role in generating rainfall across South America. All of those issues remain as relevant today as they were then.
Twenty years later, Fearnside is as busy as ever, publishing papers, mentoring scientists, and writing for the public. That includes dozens of commentaries for Mongabay.
An event held in Fearnside’s honor a couple of weeks ago prompted me to revisit his work. Scientists and former students told stories about him and described his vast contributions to understanding the Amazon during his 50 years working in the region. He has spent 48 of those years at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), which hosted the gathering.
What struck me was the gratitude these researchers expressed—and just how many people Fearnside has influenced.
The occasion was also a little bittersweet. Fearnside said it felt somewhat like a goodbye. Yet, as he made clear, he still has plenty of work to do.
With Brazil still weighing new road projects and oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon, the problems that have occupied Fearnside for half a century have not gone away.
Fearnside said his doctor told him he’ll live to be 100.
Here’s the piece: For 50 years, Philip Fearnside has calculated the costs of losing the Amazon
