logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
8m 18s

The forest is our teacher. It's time to ...

TED
About this episode
For thousands of years, the Amazon rainforest has provided food, water and spiritual connection for its Indigenous inhabitants and the world. But the endless extraction of its natural resources by oil companies and others is destroying the lives of those who live there, says Waorani leader Nemonte Nenquimo, and threatening the overall stability of Earth's biosphere. In this powerful talk, she reminds us of the destruction that continues to happen to the world's largest tropical rainforest -- and demands respect for Mother Nature. "The forest is our teacher," she says. (Filmed in Ecuador by director Tom Laffay and associate producer Emily Wright, in collaboration with Amazon Frontlines. In Spanish with subtitles.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
How to make friends (and keep them) | Sheridan Voysey
Who could you call at 2am when everything’s gone wrong? Friendship expert Sheridan Voysey believes we’re in a friendship recession, with many of us forgetting how to foster meaningful relationships. He explores three hidden barriers keeping us apart, why it feels harder to make f ... Show More
16 m
Oct 29
How fossil fuel companies keep your energy costs high | Jon Powers
Solar energy and storage are the fastest, cheapest ways to add electricity to the grid. So why are small towns across the US pausing or banning these projects? Clean energy entrepreneur Jon Powers shows how fossil fuel companies are waging disinformation campaigns at the local le ... Show More
12m 7s
Oct 28
How people are using AI to grieve, love and connect | Jennifer Cearns
Many people fear AI is eroding our humanity, replacing real relationships with synthetic ones that leave us lonelier than ever. Digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns believes the opposite may be true. After talking to hundreds of people who turn to AI for grief, love, friendship ... Show More
17 m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
Climate Heroes - Preserving the Forest in Peru
When Julio Cusurichi saw loggers push deeper and deeper into the Amazon, he realized they threatened both the fragile rainforest and the traditional way of life for Indigenous communities in Peru. So he decided to make it his life's work to protect Indigenous lands and rights. A ... Show More
18m 38s
Jan 2012
Saving the Brazilian Amazon
The Amazon rainforest is perhaps the world's greatest single environmental asset. For years the accepted wisdom has been that the remorseless tide of destruction there is unstoppable. Justin Rowlatt travels to Brazil to question this conventional account and finds that over the l ... Show More
27m 58s
Oct 2021
Saving the Amazon with economics
The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest but this crucial carbon sink is facing increased deforestation. Land clearing for mining or agriculture has increased under Brazil's president Jair Bolsanaro. But the world needs the Amazon jungle to keep absorbing carbon if more ambit ... Show More
17m 29s
Nov 2025
Why does the Amazon matter?
The Amazon is probably the most famous rainforest on Earth. It’s home to Indigenous communities, one of the world's biggest rivers and a diversity of plant and animal life found nowhere else. But it’s also a region rich in sought-after resources — gold, iron ore, bauxite, coffee ... Show More
26m 29s
Feb 2021
The women who protect nature
<p>Kim Chakanetsa meets two environmental champions fighting to save South America's most precious ecosystems. Kris Tompkins is the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation. Kris and her late husband, Doug Tompkins, have been instrumental in the creation of 13 national ... Show More
27m 30s
Jun 2025
Why are our tropical forests disappearing faster than ever and what can we do about It?
Tropical rainforests cover around 6% of our planet, yet they're home to more than half of the world’s species. They're also one of our planet’s most vital defences against climate change. But a new report shows how our tropical forests were ravaged in 2024 - and the Amazon rainfo ... Show More
26m 28s
Jul 2020
The struggle to save Borneo's rainforests
The rainforests of Sarawak in Malaysia on the island of Borneo are some of the richest and most biodiverse ecosystems on earth - but for decades they've been under threat from commercial logging, permitted by the Malaysian government. In the 1980s, local people from the Penan and ... Show More
10m 7s
Mar 2023
Felling through the cracks: rainforests in crisis
<p>The economics are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/02/saving-the-rainforests-would-be-a-bargain?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content ... Show More
25m 19s
May 2024
How to follow the laws of nature (w/ Nonette Royo)
What is your relationship with the planet we live on? As a human rights lawyer and environmental activist, Nonette Royo is trying to make us all live more symbiotically with nature. She works hard to listen to indigenous peoples around the world to help them control the land they ... Show More
33m 20s