The World's First "Nature Superpower"s | Ilona Szabó de Carvalho | TED

Overview

This talk explores Brazil's journey to becoming a nature superpower by redefining its relationship with nature. It highlights the country's efforts to combat deforestation, build a bioeconomy rooted in Indigenous knowledge, and create innovative financial models to value and restore natural ecosystems. The speaker emphasizes the global implications of Brazil's approach, offering a blueprint for sustainable development worldwide.

Notable Quotes

- Over half of global GDP depends on everything nature provides for free. – Ilona Szabó de Carvalho, on the economic value of natural ecosystems.

- We can't police our way out of this problem. The Amazon alone is larger than the European Union. – Ilona Szabó de Carvalho, on the scale of challenges in combating illegal deforestation.

- Forests and nature are worth far more alive than dead. – Ilona Szabó de Carvalho, on the need for a paradigm shift in valuing natural resources.

🌳 Rethinking Brazil's Relationship with Nature

- Brazil is home to the world's largest tropical forest, one of the longest rivers, and unparalleled biodiversity, making it uniquely positioned to lead in nature-based solutions.

- Over 90% of deforestation in Brazil is illegal, driven by illicit economies like land grabbing, wildlife trafficking, and illegal mining.

- The environmental and economic consequences of deforestation are global, destabilizing food production, water security, and climate systems.

🚨 Combating Environmental Crime

- Brazil's efforts to track illegal deforestation include supporting law enforcement, prosecutors, and financial crime experts to follow illicit supply chains and money trails.

- However, enforcement alone is insufficient due to the vast scale of the Amazon. The solution lies in making standing forests economically more valuable than cleared land.

🌱 Building a Bioeconomy Rooted in Indigenous Knowledge

- Brazil is fostering a bioeconomy that integrates nature-based supply chains, from food to cosmetics, leveraging Indigenous and local expertise.

- Companies like Natura are leading the way by sustainably harvesting Amazonian ingredients and empowering traditional communities.

- Technological innovations, such as AI and satellite mapping, are accelerating sustainable practices, as seen in partnerships like Natura and Biodiverse.

🌍 Nature Restoration as an Economic Sector

- Brazil aims to achieve zero deforestation by 2030 and restore 12 million hectares of land, potentially generating $140 billion and 2.5 million jobs.

- Public-private partnerships and restoration startups like re.green and Belterra are scaling up carbon capture and agroforestry models.

- Restoration is framed as a natural industrial policy, creating economic opportunities while addressing climate goals.

💰 Innovating Nature Finance

- Brazil is pioneering financial tools like biodiversity units, ecosystem service payments, and sustainability-linked bonds to fund conservation.

- The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) proposes a $125 billion fund to reward countries and communities for preserving and restoring forests.

- These financial innovations aim to position nature as a high-integrity asset class, unlocking resources for long-term sustainability.