1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:31,166 --> 00:00:32,916 [narrator] The Amazon Jungle, 4 00:00:32,958 --> 00:00:35,541 the largest tropical rainforest in the world, 5 00:00:36,750 --> 00:00:37,625 is burning. 6 00:00:39,291 --> 00:00:42,916 The forest contains ten percent of the planet's biodiversity 7 00:00:42,958 --> 00:00:45,625 and plays a crucial role in global climate stability. 8 00:00:47,166 --> 00:00:50,833 Over 20% of the forest has already been lost 9 00:00:50,875 --> 00:00:53,333 and projections show that at this rate, 10 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:56,500 there won't be much left by the turn of the century. 11 00:00:56,541 --> 00:00:59,750 In 2019, the Amazon experienced 12 00:00:59,791 --> 00:01:02,750 a devastating and unprecedented fire season, 13 00:01:02,791 --> 00:01:05,708 with over 40,000 reported fires 14 00:01:05,750 --> 00:01:09,625 and 3500 square miles of forest lost. 15 00:01:09,666 --> 00:01:13,333 It's estimated that an area the size of a soccer field and a half 16 00:01:13,375 --> 00:01:15,958 is lost every minute. 17 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,750 Our team, led by award-winning filmmaker Michal Siewierski, 18 00:01:19,791 --> 00:01:23,083 decided to embark on an investigative journey 19 00:01:23,125 --> 00:01:25,125 to uncover the real reasons behind 20 00:01:25,166 --> 00:01:27,833 the catastrophic destruction of the Amazon forest. 21 00:01:33,875 --> 00:01:37,125 [light tense music] 22 00:01:40,791 --> 00:01:42,916 [Glenn] We're already seeing consequences 23 00:01:42,958 --> 00:01:45,041 of deforestation and climate change. 24 00:01:45,083 --> 00:01:48,500 In South America, there are almost double the rate 25 00:01:48,541 --> 00:01:50,333 of fires that there were historically. 26 00:01:50,375 --> 00:01:51,958 [Dr. Neal] You know, everybody's aware 27 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,041 that there is environmental damage happening. 28 00:01:54,083 --> 00:01:57,250 People know that the, the Amazon is being lost, 29 00:01:57,291 --> 00:02:00,875 but I don't think that most people really connect it to what's on their fork 30 00:02:00,916 --> 00:02:03,708 [chuckles] at that particular moment, and that's what's got to happen. 31 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:05,125 People have to realize we've got a choice. 32 00:02:05,166 --> 00:02:07,375 We can choose to save the Amazon 33 00:02:07,416 --> 00:02:09,291 or we can choose to lose it forever. 34 00:02:09,333 --> 00:02:12,083 The choice is right here on our plate. 35 00:02:12,125 --> 00:02:15,666 Many people don't understand that when they eat meat 36 00:02:15,708 --> 00:02:18,875 in Los Angeles, California, or New York, 37 00:02:18,916 --> 00:02:21,416 that meat could have been the result 38 00:02:21,458 --> 00:02:23,458 of deforestation in Brazil. 39 00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:26,333 [Moby] Stop anyone on the street and ask them, 40 00:02:26,375 --> 00:02:28,625 why are the rainforests being cut down? 41 00:02:28,666 --> 00:02:32,166 Some of the slightly more aware people might say palm oil, 42 00:02:32,208 --> 00:02:36,333 but most people would say like, "Oh, because of wood for houses." 43 00:02:36,375 --> 00:02:39,458 And they would have no idea that there's a connection 44 00:02:39,500 --> 00:02:42,458 between animal agriculture and deforestation. 45 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,833 [Dr. Michael] And it's all wrapped up in that burger 46 00:02:44,875 --> 00:02:48,416 and for them to sell it at $2.95 is, is a bargain. 47 00:02:48,458 --> 00:02:51,041 That's our future. That's the, that's the rainforest. 48 00:02:51,083 --> 00:02:54,291 That's our soil, that's the air, that's where your children are going to be growing 49 00:02:54,333 --> 00:02:57,416 their food in the future. That's really what we're eating. 50 00:02:57,458 --> 00:03:00,625 [Matt] The connection from the destruction of the rainforest 51 00:03:00,666 --> 00:03:03,458 to grow soy, to feed animals, 52 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:07,541 to your burger on the table or your steak on the table, it's not easy to track. 53 00:03:07,583 --> 00:03:11,208 When we talk about soy, people should be clear, we are not talking about tofu. 54 00:03:11,250 --> 00:03:14,083 We're talking about a crop that is grown 55 00:03:14,125 --> 00:03:15,541 primarily for animal feed. 56 00:03:15,583 --> 00:03:19,750 About 70% of soy is grown for animal feed, 57 00:03:19,791 --> 00:03:23,791 as well as other non-direct food uses like biodiesel. 58 00:03:23,833 --> 00:03:27,041 When we say soy, we really are talking about meat. 59 00:03:27,083 --> 00:03:29,875 So, the soy that is grown in the Amazon 60 00:03:29,916 --> 00:03:33,375 primarily goes to the European and American markets. 61 00:03:33,416 --> 00:03:35,875 They ship the soy overseas, 62 00:03:35,916 --> 00:03:38,291 put them in these giant machines called crushers, 63 00:03:38,333 --> 00:03:40,500 and turn them into feed for livestock 64 00:03:40,541 --> 00:03:43,458 and then that's used to produce beef to feed people. 65 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:46,833 And that's what we buy when, you know, you go to fast food chains. 66 00:03:46,875 --> 00:03:48,375 You're basically, in some ways, 67 00:03:48,416 --> 00:03:51,875 eating soy that was grown in the Amazon 68 00:03:51,916 --> 00:03:53,541 or other parts of South America. 69 00:03:55,291 --> 00:03:56,916 [narrator] Fire has been used by people 70 00:03:56,958 --> 00:03:58,916 for thousands of years as a way 71 00:03:58,958 --> 00:04:01,250 to clear large forested areas. 72 00:04:01,291 --> 00:04:03,625 But why, in this day and age, 73 00:04:03,666 --> 00:04:05,833 are modern farmers still using 74 00:04:05,875 --> 00:04:08,708 this devastating and unsustainable practice? 75 00:04:09,958 --> 00:04:11,666 People are burning the forest to plant soy 76 00:04:11,708 --> 00:04:13,375 because it's the easiest way to do it. 77 00:04:13,416 --> 00:04:16,166 You can go into an area that has been undeveloped, 78 00:04:16,208 --> 00:04:19,000 cut it down, burn it, grow soy and sell it to companies. 79 00:04:19,041 --> 00:04:21,416 Large international corporations 80 00:04:21,458 --> 00:04:22,708 will give you the funds to do it. 81 00:04:22,750 --> 00:04:25,500 So, when a forest in the Amazon is 82 00:04:25,541 --> 00:04:29,833 cut and burned, it puts a lot of nutrients into the soil. 83 00:04:29,875 --> 00:04:32,458 Once the forest is burned down, you can grow soy in it, 84 00:04:32,500 --> 00:04:34,416 you might be able to get a crop or two, 85 00:04:34,458 --> 00:04:36,208 but eventually it's just going to dry out. 86 00:04:36,250 --> 00:04:39,000 Uh, tropical rainforests aren't, uh, made 87 00:04:39,041 --> 00:04:41,750 to continuously grow crops in that way. 88 00:04:41,791 --> 00:04:43,750 They generally will burn the forest, 89 00:04:43,791 --> 00:04:45,416 grow something, and then move on. 90 00:04:45,458 --> 00:04:48,208 When you have an entire economic system 91 00:04:48,250 --> 00:04:50,916 that is based on destroying the rainforest 92 00:04:50,958 --> 00:04:52,333 and selling it to consumers, 93 00:04:52,375 --> 00:04:54,333 it's going to take some real agitation 94 00:04:54,375 --> 00:04:55,541 in order to change that. 95 00:04:57,166 --> 00:04:59,791 [narrator] Global warming is a controversial topic, 96 00:04:59,833 --> 00:05:02,500 but many scientists believe that deforestation 97 00:05:02,541 --> 00:05:05,125 plays an important role in the process. 98 00:05:05,166 --> 00:05:09,583 Fewer forests means more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, 99 00:05:09,625 --> 00:05:13,541 which in turn increases the severity of climate change. 100 00:05:13,583 --> 00:05:15,458 In the Amazon in particular, 101 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:17,458 and, and other rainforests as well, 102 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:19,875 once you cut down the existing vegetation, 103 00:05:19,916 --> 00:05:22,583 it's not going to grow back into a rainforest, 104 00:05:22,625 --> 00:05:25,750 it's going to turn into a much drier type of ecosystem, 105 00:05:25,791 --> 00:05:27,916 a non-native ecosystem, 106 00:05:27,958 --> 00:05:30,625 and that's going to be extremely prone to fire 107 00:05:30,666 --> 00:05:32,708 as well as the fact that all of that carbon 108 00:05:32,750 --> 00:05:35,458 that had previously been stored in that forest 109 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:37,416 has now been released into the atmosphere. 110 00:05:37,458 --> 00:05:39,125 [Moby] It seems like climate change, 111 00:05:39,166 --> 00:05:42,333 people are slowly starting to take it seriously 112 00:05:42,375 --> 00:05:45,333 and one of the ways to fight climate change 113 00:05:45,375 --> 00:05:48,250 is through carbon sequestration. Oceans and the rainforests 114 00:05:48,291 --> 00:05:50,875 are the best places for carbon sequestration. 115 00:05:50,916 --> 00:05:55,041 So, rather than the tropical rainforest serving 116 00:05:55,083 --> 00:05:58,708 as a carbon sink that keeps carbon out of the atmosphere 117 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:01,083 and helps mitigate against global warming, 118 00:06:01,125 --> 00:06:02,958 when you cut it down and burn it, 119 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,708 you're sending all of that carbon out 120 00:06:04,750 --> 00:06:07,125 and you're, you're causing a major emission 121 00:06:07,166 --> 00:06:11,291 of greenhouse gases in a system that should be trapping greenhouse gases. 122 00:06:11,333 --> 00:06:15,375 And that has to do, also, with the amount of emissions that the cattle produce, 123 00:06:15,416 --> 00:06:17,000 mainly in the amount of methane. 124 00:06:17,041 --> 00:06:19,958 What we have noticed with the deforestation, 125 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,958 there was actually a change in the soil microbial community 126 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,458 that also produce methane or consume methane. 127 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:28,250 And what we found is that actually the, 128 00:06:28,291 --> 00:06:30,291 especially the methane consumers, 129 00:06:30,333 --> 00:06:33,625 is a bacteria that use methane as their source of carbon. 130 00:06:33,666 --> 00:06:37,250 They are actually significantly reduced in the soil. 131 00:06:37,291 --> 00:06:40,208 And so suggesting there is going to be less methane uptake 132 00:06:40,250 --> 00:06:43,041 once the deforestation has happened. 133 00:06:43,083 --> 00:06:47,875 We actually can significantly reduce our overall emissions 134 00:06:47,916 --> 00:06:51,125 by eating less meat or eating no meat whatsoever. 135 00:07:04,416 --> 00:07:06,000 [Glenn] Meat is responsible for more 136 00:07:06,041 --> 00:07:09,041 climate pollution than all the cars, ships, trucks, 137 00:07:09,083 --> 00:07:11,208 and planes in the world, combined. 138 00:07:11,250 --> 00:07:12,791 This is a really big issue, 139 00:07:12,833 --> 00:07:14,875 and it doesn't get enough attention. 140 00:07:14,916 --> 00:07:17,791 Deforestation alone, uh, accounts for something 141 00:07:17,833 --> 00:07:20,750 around 15% of total global warming pollution, 142 00:07:20,791 --> 00:07:25,375 and yet it gets just two percent of the funding to address the climate crisis. 143 00:07:25,416 --> 00:07:28,500 [Moby] I was flying from Argentina to New York, 144 00:07:28,541 --> 00:07:31,541 and we were flying over the rainforest and it was the middle of the night 145 00:07:31,583 --> 00:07:34,041 and I looked at a map, 146 00:07:34,083 --> 00:07:35,458 you know, the little sky map, 147 00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:37,500 and we were flying over the jungle, 148 00:07:37,541 --> 00:07:39,833 and I looked out the window and there were just lights everywhere 149 00:07:39,875 --> 00:07:42,708 and I was trying to figure out what city we were flying over. 150 00:07:42,750 --> 00:07:44,625 I was like, "Are we flying over Brasilia?" 151 00:07:44,666 --> 00:07:47,333 Because there was, like, lights to the horizon, 152 00:07:47,375 --> 00:07:49,250 and I realized they weren't city lights, they were fires. 153 00:07:50,166 --> 00:07:52,833 And it was everywhere I looked, 154 00:07:52,875 --> 00:07:56,500 there were fires just burning and burning and burning, 155 00:07:56,541 --> 00:07:59,125 but in lines, so it was all deforestation. 156 00:07:59,166 --> 00:08:01,750 And just the immensity of that struck me. 157 00:08:08,291 --> 00:08:10,208 [narrator] Deforestation also affects 158 00:08:10,250 --> 00:08:13,166 the over two million people that live in 159 00:08:13,208 --> 00:08:16,208 and depend on the forest for food and shelter. 160 00:08:16,250 --> 00:08:19,416 To this day, indigenous populations in Brazil 161 00:08:19,458 --> 00:08:21,500 and other countries in South America 162 00:08:21,541 --> 00:08:24,125 are still being kicked out of their lands, 163 00:08:24,166 --> 00:08:26,000 even though these are public areas 164 00:08:26,041 --> 00:08:29,291 under federal jurisdiction and protected by law. 165 00:08:29,333 --> 00:08:34,583 In 2018, 135 Indians were murdered in Brazil 166 00:08:34,625 --> 00:08:37,625 and there have been over 1,000 registered cases 167 00:08:37,666 --> 00:08:40,458 of violence, abuse, death threats, 168 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:42,666 and rape of indigenous people. 169 00:08:42,708 --> 00:08:46,583 The genocide of Indians in Brazil started 500 years ago 170 00:08:46,625 --> 00:08:48,708 when the country was first colonized 171 00:08:48,750 --> 00:08:50,583 and it still occurs to this day. 172 00:11:08,125 --> 00:11:12,625 So, there has been very strong laws in Brazil of late 173 00:11:12,666 --> 00:11:14,583 for the protection of indigenous territory 174 00:11:14,625 --> 00:11:17,541 that's been identified as being the traditional territory 175 00:11:17,583 --> 00:11:19,916 and the occupied territory of indigenous people. 176 00:11:19,958 --> 00:11:22,791 There is a great fear that as of the most recent election, 177 00:11:22,833 --> 00:11:25,750 uh, the president of Brazil has pledged 178 00:11:25,791 --> 00:11:27,666 that he's going to remove that protection. 179 00:11:27,708 --> 00:11:29,333 One of the crazier things we heard 180 00:11:29,375 --> 00:11:31,750 from President Bolsonaro was that he said 181 00:11:31,791 --> 00:11:33,750 he wished that the Brazilian cavalry 182 00:11:33,791 --> 00:11:36,458 had been as effective as the American cavalry 183 00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:39,416 and eliminated more native populations. 184 00:11:39,458 --> 00:11:43,541 The attitude is we want to get native peoples off the land 185 00:11:43,583 --> 00:11:45,583 so we can bring in cattle and soy, 186 00:11:45,625 --> 00:11:47,458 which is what progress is. 187 00:11:47,500 --> 00:11:49,375 I mean, to me, I, I don't see progress 188 00:11:49,416 --> 00:11:51,750 as converting, uh, an ancient ecosystem 189 00:11:51,791 --> 00:11:53,916 that provides life to the whole planet 190 00:11:53,958 --> 00:11:57,000 to a monoculture that just serves big businesses 191 00:11:57,041 --> 00:11:59,750 as a positive or as a sign of civilization. 192 00:11:59,791 --> 00:12:02,916 To the contrary, I mean, this is an abuse that we don't need. 193 00:12:04,250 --> 00:12:06,208 [narrator] Rainforests provide habitat 194 00:12:06,250 --> 00:12:09,583 to over 80% of plants and animals living on land, 195 00:12:09,625 --> 00:12:12,625 but deforestation destroys their habitats 196 00:12:12,666 --> 00:12:14,791 and diminishes biodiversity. 197 00:12:14,833 --> 00:12:18,500 Scientists estimate that 4,000 to 6,000 species 198 00:12:18,541 --> 00:12:22,500 go extinct every year due to deforestation alone. 199 00:12:37,541 --> 00:12:39,625 [Moby] The rainforests are largely 200 00:12:39,666 --> 00:12:42,708 what make this earth habitable for us. 201 00:12:42,750 --> 00:12:44,083 [Matt] Rainforests are one of the most 202 00:12:44,125 --> 00:12:47,083 biologically diverse ecosystems in the world, 203 00:12:47,125 --> 00:12:48,708 which means that there's a lot of animals 204 00:12:48,750 --> 00:12:52,625 that live there and only there in very unique places 205 00:12:52,666 --> 00:12:55,541 and, you know, that-- that's where they live and they can't live anywhere else, 206 00:12:55,583 --> 00:12:59,458 and when you cut the forest down, the animals are gone. They've got nowhere to go. 207 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:04,333 This might sound sort of like a hippie would say this, but it's actual science, 208 00:13:04,375 --> 00:13:09,500 is our earth is a system, and nothing exists in isolation. 209 00:13:09,541 --> 00:13:11,916 All life relies on other life 210 00:13:11,958 --> 00:13:14,083 and it relies on the sustainability 211 00:13:14,125 --> 00:13:16,333 and health of other ecosystems. 212 00:13:16,375 --> 00:13:19,708 And as humans, we have this pride in the stupidity 213 00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:22,916 that makes us think that we can destroy part of the world 214 00:13:22,958 --> 00:13:27,250 and not affect us, and what we're realizing now is that's not the case. 215 00:13:27,291 --> 00:13:30,375 When you destroy the rainforest, you're destroying yourself. 216 00:13:41,583 --> 00:13:44,416 [narrator] The Amazon rainforest is considered by many 217 00:13:44,458 --> 00:13:47,916 to be the largest natural pharmacy in the world. 218 00:13:47,958 --> 00:13:49,833 It's home to an abundance of plants 219 00:13:49,875 --> 00:13:52,083 renowned for their medical properties 220 00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:56,375 and it's estimated that 25% of all the drugs used today 221 00:13:56,416 --> 00:13:59,250 are derived from rainforest plants. 222 00:13:59,291 --> 00:14:02,833 The protection of these natural elements is fundamental 223 00:14:02,875 --> 00:14:06,208 to maintaining this incredible hot spot of biodiversity. 224 00:16:02,208 --> 00:16:04,416 [narrator] It's recognized that the production of meat 225 00:16:04,458 --> 00:16:08,333 plays a key role in deforestation and climate change. 226 00:16:08,375 --> 00:16:10,541 But in recent years, meat consumption 227 00:16:10,583 --> 00:16:13,500 has also been linked to numerous chronic diseases. 228 00:16:13,541 --> 00:16:16,458 In 2014, the World Health Organization 229 00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:20,666 classified processed meat as a group one carcinogen, 230 00:16:20,708 --> 00:16:23,000 the same category given to cigarettes. 231 00:16:23,041 --> 00:16:25,208 Red meat was assigned to group 2A, 232 00:16:25,250 --> 00:16:27,000 when it comes to cancer risk, 233 00:16:27,041 --> 00:16:29,541 the same group as the pesticide DDT. 234 00:16:31,416 --> 00:16:34,166 Oh, as a physician, I think one of the best things 235 00:16:34,208 --> 00:16:36,416 people can do for their health is reduce 236 00:16:36,458 --> 00:16:39,375 their consumption of meat or eliminate it altogether. 237 00:16:39,416 --> 00:16:42,458 The scientific evidence is becoming overwhelming 238 00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:45,791 that the more animal muscle that we consume, 239 00:16:45,833 --> 00:16:49,208 the higher our risk of clogged arteries and colon cancer 240 00:16:49,250 --> 00:16:51,125 and a host of other diseases. 241 00:16:51,166 --> 00:16:52,916 So, no, I think the less meat we eat, 242 00:16:52,958 --> 00:16:54,416 the healthier we're going to be. 243 00:17:26,541 --> 00:17:30,250 [Dr. Neal] Not only is meat consumption linked to heart disease and to stroke, 244 00:17:30,291 --> 00:17:33,708 but it's also linked to many of the most common forms of cancer. 245 00:17:33,750 --> 00:17:36,625 Probably the big standout is colorectal cancer, 246 00:17:36,666 --> 00:17:39,416 which is a huge killer in the United States 247 00:17:39,458 --> 00:17:40,958 and in many other countries. 248 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,708 It's the meat itself, 249 00:17:42,750 --> 00:17:45,000 but it's also the meat-cooking processes. 250 00:17:45,041 --> 00:17:47,041 As meat is headed up in the oven, 251 00:17:47,083 --> 00:17:49,291 carcinogens form on the meat. 252 00:17:49,333 --> 00:17:51,791 There's a link between meat and Alzheimer's disease 253 00:17:51,833 --> 00:17:53,625 that came as a huge surprise. 254 00:17:53,666 --> 00:17:56,250 Starting in 1993, researchers in Chicago 255 00:17:56,291 --> 00:17:58,000 tracked what people were eating 256 00:17:58,041 --> 00:18:00,583 and they tracked who developed Alzheimer's disease 257 00:18:00,625 --> 00:18:03,250 and who didn't and one of the first things they discovered 258 00:18:03,291 --> 00:18:07,666 was that the fat that is predominant in meat, saturated fat, 259 00:18:07,708 --> 00:18:11,041 could triple your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. 260 00:18:11,083 --> 00:18:13,541 Now, the good news is, if you're not eating it, 261 00:18:13,583 --> 00:18:15,625 then your risk was cut hugely. 262 00:18:42,791 --> 00:18:46,375 [Dr. Michael] It's estimated that if meat really sold 263 00:18:46,416 --> 00:18:48,375 for what it honestly cost to produce, 264 00:18:48,416 --> 00:18:49,958 if the beef producers had to pay 265 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,375 for all the water that irrigates the alfalfa, 266 00:18:53,416 --> 00:18:55,791 that's government subsidized, that's-- 267 00:18:55,833 --> 00:18:58,291 all the water that's polluted from the slaughterhouse, 268 00:18:58,333 --> 00:19:02,083 all the soil that runs off the corn and soy bean fields, 269 00:19:02,125 --> 00:19:05,833 all the pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed on those grains 270 00:19:05,875 --> 00:19:07,416 that wind up causing cancer, 271 00:19:07,458 --> 00:19:09,416 if they had to pay for the therapies 272 00:19:09,458 --> 00:19:12,000 of the farm workers spraying those chemicals. 273 00:19:12,041 --> 00:19:14,125 This is unsustainable, 274 00:19:14,166 --> 00:19:17,333 it's a spectacularly expensive substance, 275 00:19:17,375 --> 00:19:19,125 animal flesh these days. 276 00:20:03,625 --> 00:20:05,791 [narrator] Small family farming operations 277 00:20:05,833 --> 00:20:07,416 are often swimming in debt 278 00:20:07,458 --> 00:20:11,125 while agribusiness conglomerates are thriving. 279 00:20:11,166 --> 00:20:13,833 But despite not generating many jobs, 280 00:20:13,875 --> 00:20:17,333 destroying the Amazon forest, and polluting the environment, 281 00:20:17,375 --> 00:20:21,791 big agribusiness receives billions in tax subsidies, 282 00:20:21,833 --> 00:20:24,083 while small family farmers receive 283 00:20:24,125 --> 00:20:27,291 on average ten times less in incentives. 284 00:20:27,333 --> 00:20:29,833 Those same small farms are responsible 285 00:20:29,875 --> 00:20:34,000 for producing 80% of the food that feeds the planet. 286 00:20:34,041 --> 00:20:38,416 [Moby] Agribusiness only exists because of tax subsidies. 287 00:20:38,458 --> 00:20:41,375 You remove all federal local subsidies 288 00:20:41,416 --> 00:20:43,625 from the production of animal agriculture, 289 00:20:43,666 --> 00:20:46,208 a pound of beef would cost $100. 290 00:20:46,250 --> 00:20:48,458 A gallon of milk would cost $75. 291 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:51,666 A family of four going to McDonald's without subsidies 292 00:20:51,708 --> 00:20:53,833 would spend $120 on their meal. 293 00:20:53,875 --> 00:20:58,333 So our tax dollars subsidize an industry 294 00:20:58,375 --> 00:21:00,166 that's destroying our health 295 00:21:00,208 --> 00:21:02,125 and destroying the health of the planet 296 00:21:02,166 --> 00:21:03,916 and if we speak up about it, 297 00:21:03,958 --> 00:21:06,083 we risk being thrown in jail and killed. 298 00:21:42,125 --> 00:21:44,000 [narrator] If we produced and consumed 299 00:21:44,041 --> 00:21:46,875 more plant products instead of animal products, 300 00:21:46,916 --> 00:21:48,541 this would mitigate much of 301 00:21:48,583 --> 00:21:51,541 the human generated greenhouse gas emission 302 00:21:51,583 --> 00:21:53,666 and would provide a home once again 303 00:21:53,708 --> 00:21:56,333 for the countless wild species displaced 304 00:21:56,375 --> 00:21:58,916 due to animal agriculture each year, 305 00:21:58,958 --> 00:22:00,791 but reducing the consumption of meat 306 00:22:00,833 --> 00:22:03,500 often times makes people concerned. 307 00:22:03,541 --> 00:22:05,458 Will you get enough nutrients? 308 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:06,583 And what about protein? 309 00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:37,500 [Dr. Neal] The question often comes up is to how much of a diet change do I need to make, 310 00:22:37,541 --> 00:22:41,416 and my answer is any step you make is a good step. 311 00:22:41,458 --> 00:22:43,833 So, when people reduce meat consumption, that's good. 312 00:22:43,875 --> 00:22:47,708 That said, I have to say that when people get it out of their lives completely, 313 00:22:47,750 --> 00:22:50,083 they really get their diet into high gear 314 00:22:50,125 --> 00:22:52,041 and their, their health improves dramatically, 315 00:22:52,083 --> 00:22:53,208 but any step is a good step. 316 00:23:16,625 --> 00:23:19,250 [narrator] One shocking and little-known fact 317 00:23:19,291 --> 00:23:22,083 is that deforestation increases the prevalence 318 00:23:22,125 --> 00:23:24,416 of diseases all around the world, 319 00:23:24,458 --> 00:23:28,750 including malaria, Zika, dengue fever, SARS, 320 00:23:28,791 --> 00:23:32,166 Ebola, leptospirosis, and many others 321 00:23:32,208 --> 00:23:35,250 because deforestation changes how and where 322 00:23:35,291 --> 00:23:37,666 these animals transmit these diseases. 323 00:23:37,708 --> 00:23:39,208 Once their natural habitat 324 00:23:39,250 --> 00:23:41,916 and ecosystem balance becomes disrupted, 325 00:23:41,958 --> 00:23:45,208 they end up getting closer to small towns surrounding those areas, 326 00:23:45,250 --> 00:23:48,750 increasing the chances of transmitting diseases to humans. 327 00:25:16,875 --> 00:25:19,041 [narrator] Deforestation also affects 328 00:25:19,083 --> 00:25:20,625 the quality of the air. 329 00:25:20,666 --> 00:25:23,416 When tons of harmful and toxic particles 330 00:25:23,458 --> 00:25:26,333 are released into the atmosphere during these fires, 331 00:25:26,375 --> 00:25:28,541 the particles travel by wind currents, 332 00:25:28,583 --> 00:25:32,208 and end up affecting not only the local populations, 333 00:25:32,250 --> 00:25:34,333 but people in the big cities as well. 334 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,166 [narrator] Forests play a key role in local water cycles 335 00:26:50,208 --> 00:26:55,583 by helping to keep a balance between the water on land and the water in the atmosphere. 336 00:26:55,625 --> 00:26:58,583 But when deforestation and degradation occur, 337 00:26:58,625 --> 00:27:00,791 that balance can be thrown off, 338 00:27:00,833 --> 00:27:04,333 resulting in changes in precipitation and river flow, 339 00:27:04,375 --> 00:27:08,458 which affect the climate both locally and on a global scale. 340 00:28:11,208 --> 00:28:13,958 [Glenn] You're seeing that all around the world, the consequence of that 341 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,750 is not only destruction to the ecosystems, 342 00:28:16,791 --> 00:28:19,333 but actually, uh, the entire Amazon basin 343 00:28:19,375 --> 00:28:21,833 is having increasing difficulty supporting agriculture. 344 00:28:21,875 --> 00:28:24,541 It'll be difficult to maintain the kind of agriculture 345 00:28:24,583 --> 00:28:26,833 that we have now in just 25 years. 346 00:28:26,875 --> 00:28:29,416 Um, weirdly, the agribusiness companies 347 00:28:29,458 --> 00:28:32,541 that are financing deforestation are also imperiling 348 00:28:32,583 --> 00:28:34,708 their own ability to operate in the long run. 349 00:28:34,750 --> 00:28:37,000 There just won't be enough water 350 00:28:37,041 --> 00:28:39,500 if you don't have the forest to provide it. 351 00:28:51,375 --> 00:28:53,958 The rainforest has a lot of rain. 352 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,208 It's a very wet ecosystem 353 00:28:56,250 --> 00:28:58,375 and that rain and the water cycles through it. 354 00:28:58,416 --> 00:29:00,416 When you cut the forest down, 355 00:29:00,458 --> 00:29:03,208 you're allowing the sun to penetrate to the ground, 356 00:29:03,250 --> 00:29:07,458 to the vegetation and along the edge it continues to dry out 357 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:11,166 and the more people move into the forest, cutting away at the edges, 358 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,916 the more that that drying penetrates into the forest. 359 00:29:13,958 --> 00:29:16,500 The result of that has been a real dramatic increase 360 00:29:16,541 --> 00:29:17,916 of forest fires in areas 361 00:29:17,958 --> 00:29:19,291 where there never would have been fire. 362 00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:20,791 They wouldn't have been fire-prone 363 00:29:20,833 --> 00:29:23,083 because of all the moisture in the ecosystem. 364 00:29:24,208 --> 00:29:26,666 [narrator] Because the soil in the deforested areas 365 00:29:26,708 --> 00:29:28,791 is usually poor in nutrients, 366 00:29:28,833 --> 00:29:32,541 many farmers are forced to use more resilient GMO crops 367 00:29:32,583 --> 00:29:34,541 that can withstand harsh conditions 368 00:29:34,583 --> 00:29:36,750 and larger amounts of pesticides, 369 00:29:36,791 --> 00:29:39,875 but these excess pesticides end up in the food chain. 370 00:29:39,916 --> 00:29:41,666 The grain is fed to the cattle, 371 00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,750 which are then eaten by humans. 372 00:29:43,791 --> 00:29:46,125 Also, the pesticides run off the fields 373 00:29:46,166 --> 00:29:48,083 to the water beds and rivers, 374 00:29:48,125 --> 00:29:49,750 creating a lot of pollution, 375 00:29:49,791 --> 00:29:53,125 disturbing the ecosystems and causing disease. 376 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,000 [Rose] The overuse of pesticide and fertilizer 377 00:29:56,041 --> 00:29:59,708 is one of the main contaminants for water pollution. 378 00:29:59,750 --> 00:30:04,958 So, not only are these crops causing forest loss and causing climate change, 379 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,708 they're also causing a local water pollution crisis. 380 00:31:28,041 --> 00:31:29,541 They are cutting down the forest, 381 00:31:29,583 --> 00:31:31,375 they're changing the ecosystem, 382 00:31:31,416 --> 00:31:33,791 they're dumping pesticides on the ground, 383 00:31:33,833 --> 00:31:35,375 destroying the ability of that land 384 00:31:35,416 --> 00:31:37,458 to produce food for the people around it. 385 00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:21,500 [narrator] Hundreds of environmental activists 386 00:32:21,541 --> 00:32:23,958 are killed every year all over the world. 387 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,708 With the majority being indigenous people, 388 00:32:26,750 --> 00:32:30,250 the Amazon is one of the areas with the most tension. 389 00:32:30,291 --> 00:32:33,750 Last year, Brazil was once again the deadliest country 390 00:32:33,791 --> 00:32:36,333 for environmentalists and despite efforts 391 00:32:36,375 --> 00:32:40,250 by national environmental agencies, justice is rare. 392 00:34:17,916 --> 00:34:20,083 It's become increasingly dangerous for people 393 00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:23,666 on the ground in a lot of these countries to resist. 394 00:34:23,708 --> 00:34:26,750 It's become increasingly dangerous for people on the ground 395 00:34:26,791 --> 00:34:29,416 to expose what some of these activities are 396 00:34:29,458 --> 00:34:33,166 and I think that we have a relative degree of safety 397 00:34:33,208 --> 00:34:37,208 and freedom here and, and I think that's why it's incumbent on us 398 00:34:37,250 --> 00:34:41,750 to give voice to the people who, um, can't speak for themselves in a lot of these counties. 399 00:35:25,708 --> 00:35:29,791 [Moby] Animal agriculture is a huge industry 400 00:35:29,833 --> 00:35:32,000 and a hugely powerful industry 401 00:35:32,041 --> 00:35:34,666 and a hugely violent and destructive industry. 402 00:35:34,708 --> 00:35:36,041 Not just towards the animals, 403 00:35:36,083 --> 00:35:37,458 not just towards the environment, 404 00:35:37,500 --> 00:35:39,500 but towards activists as well. 405 00:35:39,541 --> 00:35:41,000 I mean, activists have been killed 406 00:35:41,041 --> 00:35:43,583 for standing up to cattle ranchers. 407 00:35:43,625 --> 00:35:46,166 But still like, so many local legislatures 408 00:35:46,208 --> 00:35:50,000 and so many politicians essentially work for agribusiness. 409 00:35:57,458 --> 00:35:59,541 [narrator] Our team went to the state of Bahia 410 00:35:59,583 --> 00:36:01,708 to meet with Ernst Gotsch, 411 00:36:01,750 --> 00:36:03,666 a Swiss farmer and researcher 412 00:36:03,708 --> 00:36:06,000 that moved to Brazil in the 1980s. 413 00:36:06,041 --> 00:36:09,125 For the last 40 years, Ernst has developed techniques 414 00:36:09,166 --> 00:36:11,541 that combine agricultural production 415 00:36:11,583 --> 00:36:13,416 with forest regeneration. 416 00:36:13,458 --> 00:36:15,458 By combining aggressive pruning 417 00:36:15,500 --> 00:36:18,041 and innovative agroforestry techniques, 418 00:36:18,083 --> 00:36:20,375 Ernst showed the world that degraded areas 419 00:36:20,416 --> 00:36:23,333 can be regenerated and that the forest 420 00:36:23,375 --> 00:36:26,458 can be exploited without being destroyed. 421 00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:29,000 The set of principles and techniques he developed 422 00:36:29,041 --> 00:36:31,625 became globally known as syntropic farming. 423 00:36:31,666 --> 00:36:34,291 Its practical applications can be seen 424 00:36:34,333 --> 00:36:37,083 in several large farms around the world 425 00:36:37,125 --> 00:36:39,291 and on his own property where he was able 426 00:36:39,333 --> 00:36:42,541 to regenerate over 1,000 acres of degraded land. 427 00:38:14,291 --> 00:38:17,708 [narrator] On the other side of the country, one of Ernst Gotsch's students 428 00:38:17,750 --> 00:38:19,916 is following in his footsteps 429 00:38:19,958 --> 00:38:24,250 and applying the same principles in his own syntropic farm. 430 00:38:24,291 --> 00:38:27,500 Jua Pereira, a young biologist and farmer, 431 00:38:27,541 --> 00:38:30,500 shared his thoughts on the burning of the Amazon forest. 432 00:39:39,333 --> 00:39:41,666 [Henry] The tragedy of this continued destruction 433 00:39:41,708 --> 00:39:43,708 of the rainforest in Brazil 434 00:39:43,750 --> 00:39:45,458 is that it doesn't need to happen. 435 00:39:45,500 --> 00:39:48,375 That food can be developed in cleared land, 436 00:39:48,416 --> 00:39:50,666 they don't need to destroy more rainforest. 437 00:39:50,708 --> 00:39:53,250 It's just a question of doing what's right. 438 00:39:53,291 --> 00:39:55,458 That might happen because of government policy, 439 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:57,666 but it also can very well happen 440 00:39:57,708 --> 00:39:59,708 because the public is demanding it, 441 00:39:59,750 --> 00:40:02,166 and the consumer is demanding it as well. 442 00:40:02,208 --> 00:40:05,625 [Glenn] We're talking about very basic practice changes, 443 00:40:05,666 --> 00:40:09,500 like growing crops on previously deforested land 444 00:40:09,541 --> 00:40:12,750 instead of burning down new, uh, rainforest. 445 00:40:12,791 --> 00:40:15,916 Putting cover crops when there's not corn or soy growing. 446 00:40:15,958 --> 00:40:19,125 Um, having buffer zones next to waterways. 447 00:40:19,166 --> 00:40:21,166 These are really basic, affordable things 448 00:40:21,208 --> 00:40:24,166 that often actually make farmers more money in the long term. 449 00:40:31,166 --> 00:40:33,583 [narrator] Some agribusinesses in Brazil 450 00:40:33,625 --> 00:40:36,708 are beginning to transition to intensive farming, 451 00:40:36,750 --> 00:40:39,666 which confines the cattle into smaller areas 452 00:40:39,708 --> 00:40:42,750 and results in less native forest destruction, 453 00:40:42,791 --> 00:40:45,500 but researchers warn that intensive farming 454 00:40:45,541 --> 00:40:47,166 comes with its own set of problems. 455 00:41:59,541 --> 00:42:01,875 [Glenn] I do think that we, as a society, 456 00:42:01,916 --> 00:42:04,291 need to dramatically reduce our consumption of meat. 457 00:42:04,333 --> 00:42:06,833 It's both good for the planet and good for us, 458 00:42:06,875 --> 00:42:10,500 but the big agribusinesses have a role to play as well 459 00:42:10,541 --> 00:42:13,541 and they should be engaging in the basic good practices 460 00:42:13,583 --> 00:42:15,916 to hang on to the forest that we have left 461 00:42:15,958 --> 00:42:19,041 and not to pollute the already damaged waterways. 462 00:42:21,541 --> 00:42:24,125 [narrator] Our journey took us to Tucson, Arizona, 463 00:42:24,166 --> 00:42:27,833 home to Biosphere 2, the largest simulated rainforest 464 00:42:27,875 --> 00:42:30,708 research facility in the world. 465 00:42:30,750 --> 00:42:32,791 Biosphere was perhaps best known 466 00:42:32,833 --> 00:42:35,666 for two missions conducted in the early 1990s, 467 00:42:35,708 --> 00:42:38,500 in which crews were sealed inside the enclosure 468 00:42:38,541 --> 00:42:40,333 to study survivability. 469 00:42:40,375 --> 00:42:43,250 Nowadays, Biosphere 2 is home to several 470 00:42:43,291 --> 00:42:46,958 world-renowned scientists who conduct controlled experiments 471 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:50,208 in order to study complex environmental questions. 472 00:42:52,208 --> 00:42:55,000 [John] Biosphere 2 is really a remarkable facility. 473 00:42:55,041 --> 00:42:57,083 It offered a really unique opportunity 474 00:42:57,125 --> 00:42:59,416 to look at how these systems respond to changes 475 00:42:59,458 --> 00:43:03,000 like carbon dioxide, like moisture, like temperature, 476 00:43:03,041 --> 00:43:06,875 and so that began the shift for Biosphere 2 477 00:43:06,916 --> 00:43:09,250 moving away from having people live inside, 478 00:43:09,291 --> 00:43:12,500 to moving to one as a large earth environmental science laboratory. 479 00:43:12,541 --> 00:43:16,208 Actually, the largest earth environmental science laboratory. 480 00:43:16,250 --> 00:43:20,708 It is impossible to think that we'll ever recreate nature 481 00:43:20,750 --> 00:43:22,666 as it occurs naturally outside 482 00:43:22,708 --> 00:43:25,083 and all of its intricacies and complexities, 483 00:43:25,125 --> 00:43:27,583 and so Biosphere 2 is a test lab. 484 00:43:27,625 --> 00:43:30,416 We can do things like subject it to a drought, 485 00:43:30,458 --> 00:43:33,333 we predict that the tropics are going to continue to get warmer and drier, 486 00:43:33,375 --> 00:43:35,416 well, what's that mean for those systems? 487 00:43:35,458 --> 00:43:38,166 I think the biggest lesson so far to come out of Biosphere 488 00:43:38,208 --> 00:43:41,541 is how little we truly understand earth systems as a whole, 489 00:43:41,583 --> 00:43:43,916 how those systems are interconnected, 490 00:43:43,958 --> 00:43:46,416 and how those systems are impacted 491 00:43:46,458 --> 00:43:49,291 by the changes that we see coming their way. 492 00:43:49,333 --> 00:43:51,125 We were able to take our rainforest, 493 00:43:51,166 --> 00:43:53,541 run it through different levels of CO2 494 00:43:53,583 --> 00:43:56,333 and look at how its response compared 495 00:43:56,375 --> 00:43:58,416 to those that the model predicted. 496 00:43:58,458 --> 00:44:00,708 And what we found is that our system, 497 00:44:00,750 --> 00:44:04,125 like that predicted for the tropical areas in South America, 498 00:44:04,166 --> 00:44:06,083 it saturated at about the same level. 499 00:44:06,125 --> 00:44:08,166 What happens when we surpass this level? 500 00:44:08,208 --> 00:44:11,208 Well, now it means there's nothing out there 501 00:44:11,250 --> 00:44:13,250 that is absorbing it or taking the place 502 00:44:13,291 --> 00:44:15,750 of those rainforests and now rather than that CO2 503 00:44:15,791 --> 00:44:18,458 going up at a particular pace, 504 00:44:18,500 --> 00:44:20,750 now we've accelerated it significantly. 505 00:44:20,791 --> 00:44:23,916 And so, what we learn here potentially 506 00:44:23,958 --> 00:44:25,708 has real world applications 507 00:44:25,750 --> 00:44:28,416 and regardless of how much we learn 508 00:44:28,458 --> 00:44:29,791 or how much we think we know, 509 00:44:29,833 --> 00:44:31,666 it's extremely important 510 00:44:31,708 --> 00:44:33,750 to continue to maintain 511 00:44:33,791 --> 00:44:36,125 that biological diversity in those systems, 512 00:44:36,166 --> 00:44:40,583 because we just don't understand what the implications 513 00:44:40,625 --> 00:44:42,458 of losing those systems is going to be. 514 00:44:42,500 --> 00:44:45,333 We have an idea, but I don't think we fully comprehend. 515 00:44:45,375 --> 00:44:50,625 And we all have an inherent desire to survive and persist, 516 00:44:50,666 --> 00:44:55,000 and if we're not able to adapt to changes coming our way, 517 00:44:55,041 --> 00:44:56,958 it often times means, 518 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:59,208 when species can't adapt, you see them go extinct. 519 00:45:10,291 --> 00:45:13,750 [narrator] Despite the global concern about the Amazon forest, 520 00:45:13,791 --> 00:45:16,166 most people interested in helping the cause 521 00:45:16,208 --> 00:45:18,666 feel powerless due to the distance, 522 00:45:18,708 --> 00:45:21,041 complexity, and scale of the problem. 523 00:45:21,083 --> 00:45:24,500 So what can we, as regular citizens, do to help? 524 00:45:26,125 --> 00:45:27,500 I think the challenge that we face 525 00:45:27,541 --> 00:45:29,291 is people may have great concern 526 00:45:29,333 --> 00:45:32,000 about what's happening in the Amazon or elsewhere, 527 00:45:32,041 --> 00:45:35,083 but people don't know what to do to act on this concern. 528 00:45:35,125 --> 00:45:36,791 Look, at the individual level, 529 00:45:36,833 --> 00:45:38,541 uh, I think there's two big things people can do. 530 00:45:38,583 --> 00:45:41,375 One, reduce the amount of meat that people are eating. 531 00:45:41,416 --> 00:45:44,250 Most people in the developed world, uh, eat way too much meat 532 00:45:44,291 --> 00:45:46,416 and it's not good for you and it's not good for the planet. 533 00:45:46,458 --> 00:45:47,833 But the other thing that we can do 534 00:45:47,875 --> 00:45:50,208 to drive change on a systematic level 535 00:45:50,250 --> 00:45:52,166 is for consumers to go talk to the brands 536 00:45:52,208 --> 00:45:54,541 that they patronize about these issues. 537 00:45:54,583 --> 00:45:58,875 Just sending an email to the CEO of a big company 538 00:45:58,916 --> 00:46:01,708 linked to deforestation actually can get heard, 539 00:46:01,750 --> 00:46:04,708 but, you know, what's even more important is if you go on social media, 540 00:46:04,750 --> 00:46:07,791 send them a message, if you talk in person to the manager 541 00:46:07,833 --> 00:46:10,500 of a fast food restaurant or a supermarket chain, 542 00:46:10,541 --> 00:46:14,083 that pretty soon starts to make its way up the food chain 543 00:46:14,125 --> 00:46:17,333 in the corporation and they start to say, 544 00:46:17,375 --> 00:46:21,250 "Hey, we're hearing about this, we're worried that customers are leaving us 545 00:46:21,291 --> 00:46:23,541 because of our connection to climate pollution 546 00:46:23,583 --> 00:46:26,083 and to deforestation and going over to our competitor 547 00:46:26,125 --> 00:46:28,625 who's doing more to deliver sustainable products." 548 00:46:28,666 --> 00:46:31,166 The only way corporations become good corporate citizens 549 00:46:31,208 --> 00:46:33,083 is when they're held accountable by people. 550 00:46:33,125 --> 00:46:35,500 Every corporation in the world, for the most part, 551 00:46:35,541 --> 00:46:37,833 will get away with whatever they can get away with. 552 00:46:37,875 --> 00:46:41,375 You know, their goal is to make their product as cheaply as possible 553 00:46:41,416 --> 00:46:43,291 and sell it for as much as possible, you know, 554 00:46:43,333 --> 00:46:45,791 to keep their shareholders and their board happy. 555 00:46:45,833 --> 00:46:48,500 They will engage in the worst corporate practices 556 00:46:48,541 --> 00:46:50,166 unless we hold them responsible. 557 00:46:50,208 --> 00:46:52,333 [Glenn] I think what we found over and over again 558 00:46:52,375 --> 00:46:56,500 is that when consumers bring urgency around these issues 559 00:46:56,541 --> 00:46:59,250 to companies, they're actually incredibly responsive. 560 00:46:59,291 --> 00:47:01,291 These companies value their brands 561 00:47:01,333 --> 00:47:03,708 over any other asset in their company, 562 00:47:03,750 --> 00:47:05,208 so when that brand is threatened, 563 00:47:05,250 --> 00:47:07,625 when consumers start to think about their brands 564 00:47:07,666 --> 00:47:10,208 not as a wholesome snack or meal, 565 00:47:10,250 --> 00:47:14,000 but rather as a driver of ecological destruction 566 00:47:14,041 --> 00:47:16,083 and human rights abuse on a vast scale, 567 00:47:16,125 --> 00:47:18,000 that's going to threaten the value of their company 568 00:47:18,041 --> 00:47:20,708 and that causes even the most cold-hearted 569 00:47:20,750 --> 00:47:23,041 corporate executive to sit up and pay attention. 570 00:47:23,083 --> 00:47:25,000 We've also found that employees 571 00:47:25,041 --> 00:47:27,125 of these companies have outsized influence. 572 00:47:27,166 --> 00:47:29,291 So, one of the strongest voices for change 573 00:47:29,333 --> 00:47:32,208 even in companies that have done the most damage 574 00:47:32,250 --> 00:47:34,125 is from their own employees. 575 00:47:34,166 --> 00:47:36,166 People increasingly want to work at companies 576 00:47:36,208 --> 00:47:38,875 where they feel like they're doing something good for the world. 577 00:47:38,916 --> 00:47:42,000 Uh, that's true even of the agribusiness giants, 578 00:47:42,041 --> 00:47:44,916 of fast food chains, of mainstream supermarkets. 579 00:48:03,291 --> 00:48:06,000 [narrator] In Brazil, agribusiness is protected 580 00:48:06,041 --> 00:48:09,208 by laws that support the industry's actions, 581 00:48:09,250 --> 00:48:10,625 but how is this possible? 582 00:48:10,666 --> 00:48:13,208 The people in power in South America 583 00:48:13,250 --> 00:48:16,125 are often those with ties to big agribusiness. 584 00:48:16,166 --> 00:48:20,083 Many of the most powerful politicians in Brazil's government 585 00:48:20,125 --> 00:48:22,916 are connected to the meat and dairy industries 586 00:48:22,958 --> 00:48:25,791 and they create laws for their own benefit. 587 00:48:25,833 --> 00:48:27,375 This group of politicians 588 00:48:27,416 --> 00:48:30,458 is called The Ruralista Congressional Block. 589 00:48:31,416 --> 00:48:34,666 [Glenn] We've seen tremendous environmental rollbacks here in our country, 590 00:48:34,708 --> 00:48:37,875 but sadly it doesn't really compare to what's happening in Brazil. 591 00:48:37,916 --> 00:48:40,458 Tragically, Brazil made a huge amount of progress 592 00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:42,958 on reducing deforestation over the last decade. 593 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,666 Um, they cut deforestation by more than 2/3 594 00:48:46,708 --> 00:48:49,750 through both private sector efforts and government action. 595 00:48:49,791 --> 00:48:51,583 They improved environmental enforcement, 596 00:48:51,625 --> 00:48:54,958 they created both new national parks and indigenous areas. 597 00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:57,000 The big soy and cattle companies 598 00:48:57,041 --> 00:49:00,416 actually took significant efforts to reduce deforestation 599 00:49:00,458 --> 00:49:02,125 in the Brazilian Amazon that worked. 600 00:49:02,166 --> 00:49:06,125 Unfortunately, due to issues unrelated to the environment, 601 00:49:06,166 --> 00:49:09,291 Brazil elected a man who, in office, 602 00:49:09,333 --> 00:49:11,791 has set about gutting environmental protections. 603 00:49:29,291 --> 00:49:32,166 [Glenn] I think the biggest threat to the environment 604 00:49:32,208 --> 00:49:34,541 that we've seen from the Bolsonaro era so far 605 00:49:34,583 --> 00:49:36,708 hasn't been any specific policy change, 606 00:49:36,750 --> 00:49:41,250 uh, instead he's given farmers the sense of impunity 607 00:49:41,291 --> 00:49:44,541 that no matter how much they deforest, 608 00:49:44,583 --> 00:49:46,916 no matter much illegal activity they engage in, 609 00:49:46,958 --> 00:49:49,875 no matter how many indigenous people they displace from their land, 610 00:49:49,916 --> 00:49:53,125 the government won't take action and as a result, 611 00:49:53,166 --> 00:49:56,708 we've seen big soy and cattle ranchers deforest 612 00:49:56,750 --> 00:49:59,041 at probably an unprecedented scale. 613 00:49:59,083 --> 00:50:04,041 Just this past month, we saw 1,345 square kilometers 614 00:50:04,083 --> 00:50:06,458 of the Brazilian Amazon go up in smoke. 615 00:50:06,500 --> 00:50:09,291 Uh, that's an area the size of Los Angeles 616 00:50:09,333 --> 00:50:11,666 cleared of native vegetation in just one month. 617 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:01,250 [Glenn] Uh, one of the things that Bolsonaro has done 618 00:52:01,291 --> 00:52:04,666 is announce environmental inspections before they happen, 619 00:52:04,708 --> 00:52:07,625 so that the people committing crimes can get ready 620 00:52:07,666 --> 00:52:09,833 and try and cover up the damage that they caused. 621 00:52:09,875 --> 00:52:12,375 It's pretty crazy, but it's a way that they are trying 622 00:52:12,416 --> 00:52:15,375 to facilitate deforestation on a mass scale. 623 00:52:15,416 --> 00:52:17,791 What Bolsonaro is doing is terrible, 624 00:52:17,833 --> 00:52:21,458 but I think for people all over the world who are watching this issue, 625 00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:23,833 it's important to understand that he couldn't do it alone. 626 00:52:23,875 --> 00:52:28,208 It's big companies, uh, in the soy and cattle industry 627 00:52:28,250 --> 00:52:30,958 that are directly driving this deforestation. 628 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:34,500 Industry has an enormous influence on government policy. 629 00:53:20,416 --> 00:53:22,500 [Glenn] Corruption is such a massive problem 630 00:53:22,541 --> 00:53:26,125 and we want the big cattle agribusiness food companies 631 00:53:26,166 --> 00:53:27,333 to stop playing that game. 632 00:53:42,333 --> 00:53:44,791 [narrator] The Amazon problem often starts 633 00:53:44,833 --> 00:53:46,333 far way from the jungle. 634 00:53:46,375 --> 00:53:48,791 Both American and international companies 635 00:53:48,833 --> 00:53:53,041 also play a role in deforestation by creating demand, 636 00:53:53,083 --> 00:53:54,625 influencing local politics, 637 00:53:54,666 --> 00:53:58,458 and even paying farmers to destroy the forest. 638 00:53:58,500 --> 00:54:00,666 [Henry] I believe that industry in the United States 639 00:54:00,708 --> 00:54:04,416 has an enormous impact on policies of other countries. 640 00:54:04,458 --> 00:54:08,333 Uh, some American businesses do play a very active role 641 00:54:08,375 --> 00:54:10,875 in the destruction of the Amazon forest. 642 00:54:10,916 --> 00:54:14,208 One of the major corporations that operates internationally 643 00:54:14,250 --> 00:54:17,416 is Cargill, and Cargill is very active 644 00:54:17,458 --> 00:54:21,250 in destroying the rainforest, uh, to grow different, uh, crops, 645 00:54:21,291 --> 00:54:24,166 soy is one of the main ones, in that rainforest. 646 00:55:28,833 --> 00:55:31,416 [Glenn] If these big companies stopped buying 647 00:55:31,458 --> 00:55:33,458 from producers engaged in deforestation, 648 00:55:33,500 --> 00:55:35,125 regardless of who was in government, 649 00:55:35,166 --> 00:55:37,166 uh, there just wouldn't be the incentive 650 00:55:37,208 --> 00:55:39,125 to engage in these bad practices. 651 00:55:39,166 --> 00:55:41,833 Large international corporations, 652 00:55:41,875 --> 00:55:43,333 they're providing the incentives, 653 00:55:43,375 --> 00:55:45,708 they're providing loans, they're building infrastructure, 654 00:55:45,750 --> 00:55:48,291 and they're providing the ability to access the forest. 655 00:55:48,333 --> 00:55:51,500 The farmers will grow it wherever it will be bought from, 656 00:55:51,541 --> 00:55:53,458 and as long as these companies 657 00:55:53,500 --> 00:55:55,791 continue to pay people to bulldoze the forest, 658 00:55:55,833 --> 00:55:57,500 they're going to continue to do it. 659 00:56:14,666 --> 00:56:16,666 [narrator] Farms in Brazil are very different 660 00:56:16,708 --> 00:56:18,791 from those found in the U.S. and Europe. 661 00:56:18,833 --> 00:56:21,041 Their sheer size is often larger 662 00:56:21,083 --> 00:56:23,250 than big metropolitan areas, 663 00:56:23,291 --> 00:56:25,291 therefore when we hear that a farm area 664 00:56:25,333 --> 00:56:28,541 has been cleared for cattle grazing or growing soy, 665 00:56:28,583 --> 00:56:31,250 the scale of the impact can be devastating. 666 00:56:32,666 --> 00:56:35,791 When we're talking about farms in Brazil and farmers, 667 00:56:35,833 --> 00:56:38,250 I think it's important for people to realize 668 00:56:38,291 --> 00:56:40,666 that this is on a scale very different 669 00:56:40,708 --> 00:56:42,916 from what you normally see in the Unites States. 670 00:56:42,958 --> 00:56:46,916 Uh, here in the United States, you know, 2,000 acres is a large farm, 671 00:56:46,958 --> 00:56:49,833 in Brazil, it's on a totally different scale. 672 00:56:49,875 --> 00:56:51,875 Um, you know, what we found in South America, 673 00:56:51,916 --> 00:56:55,125 we routinely came across single so-called farms 674 00:56:55,166 --> 00:56:58,625 that were 50,000, 100,000 acres in size 675 00:56:58,666 --> 00:57:02,875 and what that means is that you had 50,000, 100,000 acres 676 00:57:02,916 --> 00:57:07,083 of forest or other native habitat for wildlife 677 00:57:07,125 --> 00:57:10,083 just totally cleared within a matter of months. 678 00:57:10,125 --> 00:57:12,750 We have done a series of investigations 679 00:57:12,791 --> 00:57:15,750 into who is driving deforestation in South America, 680 00:57:15,791 --> 00:57:18,750 and we've consistently found it's a relatively small 681 00:57:18,791 --> 00:57:20,833 handful of companies people probably haven't heard of. 682 00:57:20,875 --> 00:57:23,958 Cargill, Bonge, JBS, ADM and a few others, 683 00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:26,125 which are the leading agribusinesses, 684 00:57:26,166 --> 00:57:29,958 but those companies depend on markets 685 00:57:30,000 --> 00:57:31,458 from name brand companies. 686 00:57:31,500 --> 00:57:34,125 McDonald's, Burger King, Stop & Shop, 687 00:57:34,166 --> 00:57:37,041 Giant, Walmart, Mars, Carrefour, 688 00:57:37,083 --> 00:57:40,500 and all the big supermarkets and fast food chains. 689 00:57:40,541 --> 00:57:43,916 We've asked them to shift their purchases 690 00:57:43,958 --> 00:57:45,625 to more responsible companies. 691 00:57:45,666 --> 00:57:49,375 So far, all we get from the big consumer brands 692 00:57:49,416 --> 00:57:52,875 is concern about what's happening to the forests of South America, 693 00:57:52,916 --> 00:57:56,125 concern about climate change, but no discernible action. 694 00:57:56,166 --> 00:57:57,583 [Matt] So we work very closely 695 00:57:57,625 --> 00:57:59,666 with these large consumer companies 696 00:57:59,708 --> 00:58:02,375 that are buying products from companies like Cargill, 697 00:58:02,416 --> 00:58:05,041 and there are a huge number of companies 698 00:58:05,083 --> 00:58:08,791 that we work with, Costco and Walmart and McDonald's, 699 00:58:08,833 --> 00:58:13,250 that have said that they don't want rainforest destruction in their product. 700 00:58:13,291 --> 00:58:15,291 And I think it-- it's time for these companies, 701 00:58:15,333 --> 00:58:17,958 companies like McDonald's, like Whole Foods, 702 00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:21,250 like Costco, like Walmart, like Target, 703 00:58:21,291 --> 00:58:23,291 to stop buying from these companies. 704 00:58:34,416 --> 00:58:38,125 [narrator] Brazil has many laws set in place to protect the environment, 705 00:58:38,166 --> 00:58:41,125 but unfortunately environmental crimes related 706 00:58:41,166 --> 00:58:44,750 to deforestation are almost inconsequential. 707 00:58:44,791 --> 00:58:47,583 Less than five percent of the fines are paid 708 00:58:47,625 --> 00:58:50,708 and the one that get paid are not big enough to discourage farmers 709 00:58:50,750 --> 00:58:53,208 from continuing with these criminal practices. 710 00:59:29,666 --> 00:59:33,208 [Glenn] 95% of the environmental fines that are levied in Brazil 711 00:59:33,250 --> 00:59:35,916 are contested in court and more often than not, 712 00:59:35,958 --> 00:59:38,833 even egregious deforesters 713 00:59:38,875 --> 00:59:41,083 or people who displace indigenous people, 714 00:59:41,125 --> 00:59:43,250 which is illegal, get off scot-free. 715 00:59:43,291 --> 00:59:46,500 [Matt] It's the people who are on the ground in countries like Brazil, 716 00:59:46,541 --> 00:59:49,458 they want to make a living and they want to be able to feed their family. 717 00:59:49,500 --> 00:59:53,083 I am certain that given the option they would rather do that 718 00:59:53,125 --> 00:59:55,625 without having to destroy the rainforest, 719 00:59:55,666 --> 00:59:57,833 but if the only option that these companies 720 00:59:57,875 --> 01:00:00,416 are giving them is to earn their living 721 01:00:00,458 --> 01:00:02,208 through this kind of destruction, 722 01:00:02,250 --> 01:00:03,333 they're going to keep doing it. 723 01:00:03,375 --> 01:00:04,916 They don't have a lot of choices, 724 01:00:04,958 --> 01:00:08,000 and I think that maybe they could be providing 725 01:00:08,041 --> 01:00:10,458 the people in Brazil with a better option 726 01:00:10,500 --> 01:00:13,500 than destroying the land that they live in in order to eat. 727 01:00:48,958 --> 01:00:52,125 [narrator] One way that farmers found to go around the system 728 01:00:52,166 --> 01:00:54,875 is through something called cattle laundering, 729 01:00:54,916 --> 01:00:56,750 which is similar to money laundering. 730 01:00:56,791 --> 01:00:58,625 The cattle are born in an area 731 01:00:58,666 --> 01:01:00,791 responsible for deforestation, 732 01:01:00,833 --> 01:01:04,541 then they're moved to a sustainable farm 733 01:01:04,583 --> 01:01:06,583 where they get branded, fattened, 734 01:01:06,625 --> 01:01:08,791 and sent to a certified slaughterhouse. 735 01:01:08,833 --> 01:01:13,250 From there, they're sold as sustainable eco-friendly meat. 736 01:01:13,291 --> 01:01:16,500 It's almost impossible to be certain 737 01:01:16,541 --> 01:01:19,041 that your meat is not a result of deforestation. 738 01:01:19,083 --> 01:01:21,083 This method of cattle laundering 739 01:01:21,125 --> 01:01:22,875 has become common place in the market. 740 01:02:05,541 --> 01:02:07,416 It's really unlikely that anybody knows 741 01:02:07,458 --> 01:02:09,333 where the meat that they're eating comes from, 742 01:02:09,375 --> 01:02:11,833 uh, particularly if it's ground meat. If it's ground meat, 743 01:02:11,875 --> 01:02:14,083 it's coming from all different kinds of sources, 744 01:02:14,125 --> 01:02:17,458 often just from one company, but they're sourcing different parts of the meat 745 01:02:17,500 --> 01:02:19,916 from different companies, from different countries, 746 01:02:19,958 --> 01:02:21,750 and, uh, mixing it all together 747 01:02:21,791 --> 01:02:23,375 to get the content they're looking for. 748 01:02:30,666 --> 01:02:32,291 [narrator] Brazil is also the home 749 01:02:32,333 --> 01:02:35,291 to great environmental and social initiatives. 750 01:02:35,333 --> 01:02:39,375 It has the largest Meatless Mondays campaign in the world, 751 01:02:39,416 --> 01:02:41,833 and recently the city of Sao Paolo 752 01:02:41,875 --> 01:02:43,416 implemented Meatless Mondays 753 01:02:43,458 --> 01:02:45,791 in all public schools in the region. 754 01:06:13,541 --> 01:06:16,416 [narrator] When it comes to the Amazon forest fires, 755 01:06:16,458 --> 01:06:18,708 one indirect victim is rarely mentioned. 756 01:06:19,583 --> 01:06:23,250 Every year over 50 million farm animals are raised 757 01:06:23,291 --> 01:06:26,500 and killed for meat production in Brazil alone. 758 01:06:26,541 --> 01:06:29,500 A fact that not only results in deforestation, 759 01:06:29,541 --> 01:06:33,041 water pollution, and emission of greenhouse gases, 760 01:06:33,083 --> 01:06:36,750 but also results in the loss of millions of animals' lives. 761 01:09:12,333 --> 01:09:15,500 [narrator] It's not only the Amazon forest that's burning. 762 01:09:15,541 --> 01:09:19,750 Australia, California, Indonesia, Russia, Congo, 763 01:09:19,791 --> 01:09:21,916 and several other parts of the world 764 01:09:21,958 --> 01:09:24,000 are experiencing the most destructive 765 01:09:24,041 --> 01:09:26,041 and devastating fires in decades. 766 01:09:27,125 --> 01:09:30,500 Many of these fires are exacerbated by global warming. 767 01:09:30,541 --> 01:09:32,583 The Amazon fires in particular 768 01:09:32,625 --> 01:09:35,833 are part of a complex problem involving politics, 769 01:09:35,875 --> 01:09:38,500 big business, and prolific corruption. 770 01:09:38,541 --> 01:09:41,250 The political landscape is complicated. 771 01:09:41,291 --> 01:09:43,416 The agro industry is very powerful, 772 01:09:43,458 --> 01:09:45,458 and challenging these dominant forces 773 01:09:45,500 --> 01:09:47,041 can be dangerous and difficult. 774 01:09:48,041 --> 01:09:51,041 There is certainly a great deal of work to be done, 775 01:09:51,083 --> 01:09:53,541 and there are many brave people fighting in the trenches 776 01:09:53,583 --> 01:09:55,625 to change these systems. 777 01:09:55,666 --> 01:09:58,041 But fortunately for you and I, 778 01:09:58,083 --> 01:10:00,625 we have the power to create positive change 779 01:10:00,666 --> 01:10:02,375 for the Amazon forest. 780 01:10:02,416 --> 01:10:04,250 Each of us as individuals 781 01:10:04,291 --> 01:10:06,833 is empowered to protect the Amazon, 782 01:10:06,875 --> 01:10:10,416 and that power lies at the end of our knives and forks, 783 01:10:10,458 --> 01:10:11,916 because we can make choices 784 01:10:11,958 --> 01:10:13,875 when it comes to the food we eat. 785 01:10:13,916 --> 01:10:15,500 By reducing or eliminating 786 01:10:15,541 --> 01:10:17,875 the consumption of meat in our diets, 787 01:10:17,916 --> 01:10:20,916 not only are we helping to prevent climate change, 788 01:10:20,958 --> 01:10:23,583 but we are also protecting the Amazon forest 789 01:10:23,625 --> 01:10:26,125 for present and future generations to come. 790 01:10:45,708 --> 01:10:47,791 It's a frightening time, frankly, uh, 791 01:10:47,833 --> 01:10:50,875 but I think that people can change and when change happens, 792 01:10:50,916 --> 01:10:52,666 it generally happens pretty quickly, 793 01:10:52,708 --> 01:10:54,625 and I think we're reaching a turning point, 794 01:10:54,666 --> 01:10:57,166 and we're really hoping, and we're banking on the fact 795 01:10:57,208 --> 01:10:59,833 that now that things have gotten to this point, 796 01:10:59,875 --> 01:11:01,625 people are going to change their behaviors 797 01:11:01,666 --> 01:11:04,791 and we're going to be able to turn things around. 798 01:11:04,833 --> 01:11:08,333 There's this interesting fallacy in philosophy, 799 01:11:08,375 --> 01:11:10,416 it's called "the is-ought fallacy," 800 01:11:10,458 --> 01:11:14,458 and what it basically means is to justify something 801 01:11:14,500 --> 01:11:19,708 that you're doing because it's been done is wrong, and we can see that very easily. 802 01:11:19,750 --> 01:11:22,500 Like, so, on one hand, people look at animal agriculture, 803 01:11:22,541 --> 01:11:24,250 and they say, "Well, people have always eaten meat." 804 01:11:24,291 --> 01:11:25,791 And I would say, "Yeah, but, 805 01:11:25,833 --> 01:11:27,833 like, women used to not be allowed to vote." 806 01:11:27,875 --> 01:11:31,625 We can very clearly see how logically, ethically that's completely wrong. 807 01:11:31,666 --> 01:11:33,458 We used to be able to smoke on airplanes. 808 01:11:33,500 --> 01:11:37,375 We keep making progress and progress involves 809 01:11:37,416 --> 01:11:41,875 rejecting a past that we now deem to be unethical and wrong, 810 01:11:41,916 --> 01:11:43,583 and the next thing we have to do 811 01:11:43,625 --> 01:11:46,000 is reject the use of animals for food. 812 01:11:46,041 --> 01:11:47,958 For the animals, for us, 813 01:11:48,000 --> 01:11:50,500 and for this only home that we have. 814 01:11:50,541 --> 01:11:53,750 In our clinic, when people learn to change their diets, 815 01:11:53,791 --> 01:11:55,916 they're replacing the meat with healthier foods, 816 01:11:55,958 --> 01:11:57,250 their health rebounds. 817 01:11:57,291 --> 01:11:58,541 It's amazing to see. 818 01:11:58,583 --> 01:12:00,041 Their lives are changed. 819 01:12:00,083 --> 01:12:01,250 The earth is the same way, 820 01:12:01,291 --> 01:12:03,750 that when we change our eating habits, 821 01:12:03,791 --> 01:12:06,583 globally, the environment can rebound, 822 01:12:06,625 --> 01:12:08,083 the forests can regrow. 823 01:12:08,125 --> 01:12:10,541 We don't have to wait, we can do that now. 824 01:12:10,583 --> 01:12:11,750 I say let's put it to work. 825 01:12:19,875 --> 01:12:23,541 ["Mere Anarchy" by Moby] 826 01:12:35,666 --> 01:12:41,166 ♪ Caution of the world you said was over ♪ 827 01:12:43,625 --> 01:12:48,791 ♪ Caution where we were 828 01:12:50,375 --> 01:12:55,125 ♪ Caution where we were 829 01:12:57,208 --> 01:12:59,541 ♪ Oh 830 01:13:01,583 --> 01:13:06,583 ♪ Caution of the world you said was over ♪ 831 01:13:09,583 --> 01:13:14,333 ♪ Caution where we were 832 01:13:15,875 --> 01:13:20,833 ♪ Caution where we were 833 01:13:22,791 --> 01:13:24,416 ♪ Oh 834 01:13:24,458 --> 01:13:26,041 ♪ Caution cities 835 01:13:27,958 --> 01:13:29,500 ♪ Razed by no one 836 01:13:31,041 --> 01:13:35,583 ♪ Caution waits but never find hope ♪ 837 01:13:37,625 --> 01:13:41,916 ♪ Caution lifts we did this wrong ♪ 838 01:13:44,000 --> 01:13:49,750 ♪ Caution has the way and I don't feel this anymore ♪ 839 01:13:52,666 --> 01:13:57,666 ♪ Caution of the world he said was over ♪ 840 01:14:00,583 --> 01:14:05,375 ♪ Caution where we were 841 01:14:07,083 --> 01:14:11,541 ♪ Caution where we were 842 01:14:14,166 --> 01:14:15,916 ♪ Oh