Regenerating Rainforests — Our Carbon Sinks

Forests cover some 10.8 million square miles — 30% of the Earth's terrestrial surface. They have been storing carbon for centuries through photosynthesis, making them one of the biggest carbon sinks and helping to maintain a temperate climate.

Today our forests are rapidly being cleared and degraded, releasing this stored carbon and driving rapid changes to the environment. The world loses a football field of forest every six seconds. The Amazon rainforests alone house 76 billion tons of carbon — and deforestation means both a release of this carbon stock and the destruction of its rich biodiversity.

In this highly insightful session, you will travel, live, to the heart of the Brazilian Amazon with a naturalist and learn about the wonders of the magical rainforests, their rich biodiversity and how they have been protecting us for centuries.

You will understand the reasons for deforestation and how this is pushing the forests to a tipping point where they can turn into a savannah. You will meet indigenous tribes who have protected the forests for more than 12,000 years, learn about their rich cultures and how climate change is impacting them, and in turn, the forests.

Gain an insight into a new vision for 'Amazonia 4.0' based on a nature-based economy of healthy standing forests and flowing rivers. At the end of the session, you'll take away tangible action points — for students and workforces — to help regenerate our forests and reduce emissions, from conscious personal consumption choices to company policies, plus Community Action projects that educate, transfer skills and support indigenous tribes in the Amazon.

The leading climate change think tank Project Drawdown reveals that by protecting an additional 335–466 million hectares of forest, we could avoid 5.55–8.83 gigatons of CO2 emissions by 2050.