The Amazon Rainforest doesn’t need saving, it needs justice | Antonella Di Ciano | TEDxDuke

Key Concepts

Climate change, Amazon basin, deforestation, tipping point, environmental crime, indigenous communities, Orinoco Mining Arc, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), Belém Declaration, COP30, sustainable consumption, policy maker cooperation.

The Amazon: More Than Just a Lung

The speaker emphasizes that climate change is a constant concern for younger generations, but the focus has been too much on loss, leading to a sense of hopelessness. She argues that the Amazon basin holds the key to reversing climate change, not just mitigating it.

• Vast Ecosystem: The Amazon basin, shared by eight countries, spans over 7 million square kilometers, equivalent to 169 Switzerlands.
• Global Significance: It regulates global temperatures and produces 20% of the world's oxygen.
• Beyond Oxygen: The Amazon also holds 20% of the world's fresh water, 60% of tropical forests, and 10% of all plant and animal species.
• Time Machine: The Amazon absorbs over two billion tons of CO2 annually, around 5% of global emissions.

The Imminent Threat: Reaching the Tipping Point

The speaker warns that the Amazon is close to a "tipping point," where deforestation becomes irreversible.

• Deforestation Levels: Currently, 17-20% of the Amazon has been deforested.
• Tipping Point Threshold: The tipping point is reached at 25% deforestation.
• Consequences: Beyond the tipping point, the rainforest transforms into a savannah-like ecosystem, losing its ability to absorb CO2 and potentially releasing it.

Four Reasons to Protect the Amazon

The speaker outlines four critical reasons for protecting the Amazon:

1. Time Machine: Its ability to absorb CO2.
2. Water Engine: Its vast freshwater reserves.
3. Biodiversity Hotspot: Its unparalleled biodiversity.
4. Home: The home to over 30 million indigenous people.

• Indigenous Guardianship: Deforestation rates are significantly lower in indigenous-managed territories, as they view the forest as their home, not a resource.

The Orinoco Mining Arc: A Case Study of Destruction

The speaker shares her personal connection to the Amazon through her Venezuelan heritage and her grandmother's stories. She highlights the devastating impact of the Orinoco Mining Arc in Venezuela as a prime example of environmental destruction.

• Personal Connection: The speaker's grandmother, of indigenous descent, cherishes the Amazon but has never returned due to its destruction.
• Orinoco Mining Arc: A 112,000 square kilometer mining zone (the size of Portugal) established in 2016.
• Consequences: The area has become one of the most dangerous places on Earth, plagued by criminal gangs, corrupt officials, and environmental crime.
• Humanitarian Crisis: Illegal mining has led to ecocide and a humanitarian crisis, with indigenous communities violently displaced and silenced.
• Example: The Juuana indigenous community was attacked and their village burned down by illegal miners after they tried to expel them.

Environmental Crime: A Transnational Threat

The speaker emphasizes that deforestation is driven by environmental crime, a vast and organized network.

• Definition: Environmental crime encompasses illegal mining, illegal logging, land grabbing, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.
• Scale: It is the third most lucrative illicit activity in the world.
• Organization: Criminal networks operate across borders, exploiting the lack of cooperation between Amazonian nations.

A Call for Unified Action and Policy Change

The speaker advocates for a unified approach to combatting environmental crime in the Amazon.

• Georeferenced Map Tool: The speaker has developed a georeferenced map tool that provides policymakers with real-time data and satellite monitoring of the Amazon.
• Purpose: The tool aims to inform policymakers and encourage them to develop a unified solution to environmental crime.
• Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO): The only organization comprising the eight Amazonian nations, ACTO signed the Belém Declaration in 2023, prioritizing security in the Amazon.
• Upcoming Events: The speaker plans to present her tool at the upcoming presidential summit in August and COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November.

Individual and Collective Action

The speaker calls for both individual and collective action to protect the Amazon.

• Sustainable Consumption: Consumers should choose products with certifications like the Rainforest Alliance (green frog) to ensure they are not contributing to deforestation.
• Call to Action for Young People: Young people need to engage in discussions about the Amazon and push policymakers to cooperate and address environmental crime.
• Urgency: The events of this year will determine the fate of the Amazon, deciding whether it is lost forever or thrives for future generations.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The Amazon rainforest, a vital ecosystem for global climate regulation and biodiversity, faces an imminent threat from deforestation driven by organized environmental crime. The speaker argues that reversing climate change hinges on protecting the Amazon and calls for a shift in focus from despair to action. She emphasizes the need for unified action among Amazonian nations, informed by real-time data and driven by a commitment to sustainable practices and the protection of indigenous communities. The speaker's call to action urges individuals, particularly young people, to become informed consumers and advocates for policy change, recognizing that the fate of the Amazon, and indeed the planet, hangs in the balance.