Swiss Impact with Banerjis

Amazonas For Life. Carlos Nobre & Helena Lindemark

The Amazon’s "Last Corridor of Life" is Being Sold for Soy Farming (ft. Carlos Nobre & Helena Lindemark)

We are witnessing a critical moment for the Amazon rainforest. In this episode, we focus on a specific 30,000-hectare forest in Bolivia—a "living corridor" that connects the dry forests of Chiquitania to the Amazon biome. This land, home to jaguars and vital watersheds, is currently at risk of being sold to Brazil's largest soy company which plans to clear up to 80% of it for agriculture.

We are joined by two powerhouse guests:

• Professor Carlos Nobre: A Nobel Peace Prize contributor and leading Earth System scientist who has spent decades warning that the Amazon is nearing a catastrophic "tipping point".
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• Helena Lindemark: Impact entrepreneur and founder of the 2022 Initiative Foundation, working directly with Indigenous communities to legally challenge this sale and protect the forest.
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In this interview, we discuss:

• The Crisis: Why the sale of this corridor to agribusiness could lead to ecological suicide, drying out the region by disrupting the "flying rivers" that transport essential moisture.
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• The Tipping Point: Prof. Nobre explains how we are on the verge of turning the Amazon into a dry savanna, which would release billions of tons of CO2 and potentially make the region uninhabitable for humans.
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• The Solution: How Indigenous nations are using legal action to stop the land use change and the rise of a "social bioeconomy"—using standing forests to produce chocolate, nuts, and oils instead of cattle.
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• Urgent Action: The legal battle is underway, but time is short. The Indigenous guardians believe this sale can still be stopped.
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Join us to learn why what happens to this one corridor in Bolivia will decide the future of our climate.