Make My Money Matter has partnered with actor Benedict Cumberbatch on a deforestation awareness video, where he introduces himself as “Benedict Lumberjack.”
In the video, Cumberbatch, who is seated in a sauna, emphasises the detrimental effects of pension investments, highlighting how they can unintentionally finance deforestation.
He says businesses that make money off of deforestation are flourishing because of pension funds that are utilised for practices like slash-and-burn farming, which destroys rainforests.
The video compares rising corporate profits to wildfires, pointing out the literal and figurative burning of the planet due to these exploitative practices.
He says: “The Business of deforestation is on fire and it’s all thanks to you. We’ve taken billions of your hard-earned pounds and use them to fuel our exploits through the Amazon and beyond.
“The money from your pension has helped scorch, slash and burn entire rainforests and our profits are growing like, well, wildfire. Some parts of the world are literally burning but it’s just the bits no one cares about.
The video ends with Cumberbatch saying: “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the rainforest. So don’t change a thing. Keep your pension cash pouring in and will keep the fires of profit burning.”
