START TO REALLY PUT A DENT IN THE NUMBER OF ROBOCALLS WE ALL
GET.
GET. >>> RECORD FIRES ARE ARE BLAZING
THE AMAZON RAISING CONCERNS.
MORE THAN 74,000 FIRES HAVE
BURNED IN BRAZIL THIS YEAR, MORE
THAN DOUBLE THE TOTAL FROM 2018.
THE BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT HAS
ROLLED BACK ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTIONS BUT HE’S DEFLECTING
BLAME FOR THE MASSIVE FIRES.
PAUL IS A CONSERVATIONIST WHO’S
TRAVELLED TO THE AMAZON
REGULARLY FOR 13 YEARS.
HE’S HERE WITH US NOW.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHY THIS
ISN’T JUST AN ISOLATED PROBLEM
IN THE AMAZON AND THE ROLE IT
PLAYS IN OUR WORLD ECOSYSTEM?
>> THERE’S NOTHING ABOUT THIS
THAT’S ISOLATED.
THAT’S ISOLATED. THIS IS WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH
AS A PLANET NOW.
WE’VE BEEN WATCHING
DEFORESTATION HAPPEN FOR THE
LAST FEW DECADES.
THIS YEAR THE FIRE IS SO BIG
EVERYONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO
IT.
IT. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM.
WE’RE LOSING FORESTS ALL OVER
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. RAIN FORESTS COVER 75% OF OUR
LAND MASS.
LAND MASS. WE’RE LOSING THEM SO QUICKLY.
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP LETTING
THIS HAPPEN YEAR AFTER YEAR.
>> FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T
UNDERSTAND OR KNOW HOW THEY
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECOSYSTEM,
WHAT DOES THE AMAZON DO AND WHAT
DOES THE WIPING OUT OF IT TAKE
AWAY FROM OUR PLANET?
>> THE AMAZON DOESN’T TAKE
ANYTHING AWAY FROM OUR PLANET.
THE AMAZON PRODUCES.
IT’S LIKE AN ENGINE THAT GIVES
US LIFE.
US LIFE. IT’S PRODUCING A FIFTH OF OUR
CLEAN WATER, IT’S PRODUCING A
FIFTH OF THE OXYGEN WE HAVE.
THIS BIODIVERSITY IN TERMS OF
SPECIES, RESOURCES, MEDICINES,
THIS IS THE THING THAT ALLOWS US
TO LIVE ON THIS PLANET.
YOU RIP THE AMAZON OUT OF PLANET
EARTH AND YOUR LIFE HERE WOULD
BE UNRECOGNIZABLE.
BE UNRECOGNIZABLE. NOT TO MENTION THAT A TENTH OF
OUR GLOBAL EMISSIONS COME FROM
DEFORESTATION.
DEFORESTATION. SO JUST STOPPING CUTTING DOWN
THE TREES WOULD HELP US SO MUCH
IN TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
SINCE 1970, WE’VE LOST 50% OF
THE WILDLIFE ON THIS PLANET.
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> CARS ARE GOING TO STOP IN THE
STREET, NEWSCASTERS ARE GOING TO
TAKE THEIR EAR PIECES OUT.
I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD STOP
AND NOTHING STOPPED.
WE’VE LOST 50% OF THE WILDLIFE
ON THIS PLANET.
WE’RE ALL TALKING ABOUT HOW DOES
THE AMAZON BENEFIT THE PLANET’S
CLIMATE.
CLIMATE. WE’RE LOSING SO MANY ANIMALS,
ONES NOT EVEN DESCRIBED TO
SKIENS
SKIENS SCIENCE YET.
SCIENCE YET. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT IS START
PROTECTING THE INTACT AMAZON
BECAUSE IT’S A CLOSED LOOP.
IT’S A MOISTURE CYCLE.
THE AMAZON PRODUCES THE RAIN
THAT WATERS IT AND THAT’S HOW
THE WHOLE SYSTEM WORKS.
WE HAVE TO SAFEGUARD THAT IF WE
HAVE ANY CHANCE OF REMAINING
ALIVE.
ALIVE. >> PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THE IMAGES
OF THESE FIRES.
LET’S TALK FOR A SECOND ABOUT
HOW WE GOT HERE TO, YOU KNOW, A
RECORD NUMBER OF FIRES IN THE
AMAZON.
AMAZON. WHAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS?
>> AGAIN, THIS IS JUST DECADES
OF APATHY ON EVERYONE’S PART.
THAT’S THE THING.
WE THINK ABOUT IT AS AN ISOLATED
ISSUE.
ISSUE. BRAZIL SAYS THIS IS OUR FOREST
AND PERU SAYS THIS IS OUR FOREST
AND EACH COUNTRY DOES THAT.
60% OF THE AMAZON DOES HAPPEN TO
BE IN BRAZIL BUT THIS IS A
GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT ECOSYSTEM.
WE ALL HAVE TO HAVE A SAY IN
THIS.
THIS. WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IS LOCAL PEOPLE
IN THESE COUNTRIES OR LEADERS
SAYING, NO, YOU GUYS ALREADY
TOOK DOWN YOUR FORESTS IN THE
U.S., YOU DON’T GET TO TELL US
WHAT TO DO WITH OUR FORESTS.
THAT DOESN’T WORK.
THE FACT THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW
THESE THINGS 200 YEARS AGO
DOESN’T MEAN WE GET TO MAKE THE
SAME MISTAKES NOW.
WE’RE JUST SHOOTING OURSELVES IN
BOTH FEET.
BOTH FEET. THE CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT IS
IN A BAD ENOUGH STATE WE HAVE TO
TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL THESE
THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED.
WE NEED OUR OCEANS.
3 BILLION PEOPLE STILL GET THEIR
PROTEIN DIRECTLY FROM THE
OCEANS.
OCEANS. WE NEED OUR FORESTS.
US ALLOWING THERE TO BE CATTLE
FARMING AND ROAD DEVELOPMENT IN
THE RAIN FOREST, WE KNOW THAT
ROADS -- THIS IS LIKE
CONSERVATION 101.
CONSERVATION 101. YOU BUILD A ROAD, THE RAIN
FOREST DIES.
FOREST DIES. YOU CLEAR IT, YOU CUT DOWN MEL
LEN
LEN MILLENNIUM TREES AND PUT CATTLE.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE FIRES FROM
SPACE.
SPACE. IT’S ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE CAUSE.
MY GOODNESS, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE
HOW COULD THEY POSSIBLY STOP
THIS.
THIS. IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE IT’S BEYOND
CONTROL.
CONTROL. >> IT IS OUT OF CONTROL.
THAT VIDEO THAT I PUT UP, I MEAN
I’VE BEEN IN THESE FIRES.
I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR THE
LAST 13 YEARS.
WHEN YOU COME UP TO A FIRE
THAT’S 200 FEET TALL THAT’S
BURNING A 500-YEAR-OLD FOREST,
THERE’S ANIMALS RUNNING FOR
THEIR LIVES, THERE’S TROOPS OF
MONKEYS AND MOST OF THEM ARE NOT
MAKING IT OUT.
IT’S APOCALYPTIC.
IT’S APOCALYPTIC. WATER IS EXPANDING INSIDE OF
TREES AND EXPLODING.
THE SUN GETS BLOTTED OUT.
EVERYONE ASKS ME HOW CAN WE PUT
OUT THESE FIRES.
YOU CAN’T PUT OUT THESE FIRES.
WE DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES OR
TECHNOLOGY TO PUT OUT THESE
FIRES.
FIRES. THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO IS
START ACTING LIKE RESPONSIBLE
CREATURES THAT DON’T KILL THE
THING THAT KEEPS US ALIVE.
IT’S REALLY, REALLY SIMPLE.
WE JUST HAVE TO STOP CUTTING
DOWN THE AMAZON AND WE’LL BE
FINE.
FINE. >> IT’S SUCH A DEPRESSING THING
TO TALK ABOUT, TO THINK ABOUT,
TO LOOK AT ALL THOSE IMAGES.
ANY CAUSE FOR HOPE OR ANYTHING
THAT YOU SEE THAT WE’RE MOVING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
>> THERE’S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
OF HOPE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
THAT’S WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO TELL EVERYONE.
YES IT’S REALLY SCARY.
YES WE’RE LOSING TONS OF THE
AMAZON.
AMAZON. TIGERS ARE SUPER ENDANGERED BUT
INDIA JUST DOUBLED THEIR
POPULATION OF TIGERS.
DECADES AGO HUMPBACK WHALES WERE
ALMOST GONE.
ALMOST GONE. NATURE IS INCREDIBLY RESILIENT
BUT YOU HAVE TO ALLOW IT TO
BOUNCE BACK.
BOUNCE BACK. IF WE KEEP CUTTING BACK THE
AMAZON AND PUSH IT PAST THAT
TIPPING POINT, WE’RE GOING TO
MAKE IT TO THE POINT WHERE THE
AMAZON COLLAPSES AND WE DON’T
HAVE IT ANYMORE AND WE’RE LIVING
IN A POST APOCALYPTIC MOVIE AND
NO ONE WANTS TO DO THAT.
THERE’S TONS OF HOPE.
THE FACT THAT EVERYONE IS
SHARING THIS STUFF.
THE FACT THAT WE HAVE
CELEBRITIES LIKE LEONARDO
DICAPRIO USING HIS POWER TO GET
THIS OUT THERE.
TO REALIZE THAT WE HAVE TO ELECT
LEADERS THAT UNDERSTAND SCIENCE
AND BIOLOGY AND THE FACT THAT WE
DEPEND ON OTHER ORGANISMS TO
LIVE, THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT
THINGS AND THESE ARE COMING TO
THE FOREFRONT OF EVERYBODY’S AT
ATTENTION
ATTENTION ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. THE RESPONSIBILITY IS TO
MAINTAIN THAT AWARENESS.
WE HAVE TO PROTECT THESE
ECOSYSTEMS WITH THE SIZE OF OUR
GLOBAL POPULATION, WITH THE
SCALE OF OUR EMISSIONS RIGHT
NOW, WITH THE LOSS OF
BIODIVERSITY.
BIODIVERSITY. PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT
ANIMALS HAVE CREATED THE
ECOSYSTEMS THAT WE LIVE OFF OF.
CARL SAGAN HAD THAT GREAT LINE
LIKE NOTHING THAT YOU’RE
INTERESTED IN IS GOING TO HAPPEN
IF YOU CAN’T BREATHE THE AIR AND
DRINK THE WATER.
IT’S BAD FOR BUSINESS IF YOU
LOSE THESE NATURAL SYSTEMS.
>> WHO CARES ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE
IF WE CAN’T BREATHE, RIGHT?
>> I CERTAINLY DON’T.