This Global Futures Bulletin examines how the Amazon is increasingly framed not only as an environmental asset but as a strategic source of minerals essential to the energy transition and modern defence systems. This dual demand – clean energy and hard security – has elevated
We are living through an unprecedented climate crisis that poses an imminent risk to biodiversity and to future generations of our planet. The crisis is driven by the destruction of forests, which play a crucial role in absorbing CO₂, but which now emit more carbon
The 2025 Amazon Assessment Report of the Science Panel for the Amazon, entitled “Connectivity of the Amazon for a Living Planet”, brings sciences together that support ecological and sociocultural connectivity as the key strategy to conserve Amazonian ecosystems, advance sustainable development, and contribute to human
Check out events, launches, and partnerships during the COP30 The Igarapé Institute returns from Belém after a strategic participation at COP30, contributing to the global climate agenda across three key themes: financing for nature, tackling environmental crimes, and new designs for effective international cooperation. The
The Pan-Amazonia region — encompassing parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname — is approaching a critical tipping point that could trigger irreversible ecosystem collapse. At the same time, global demand for nature-based solutions (NbS) and bio-based products has never been
The goal of KYT-e, a public and open-access platform available online, is to support sustainable businesses that generate positive impact and help curb illicit economies. Green enterprises, responsible investors, and public authorities now have a tool that helps projects and impact-driven businesses navigate the main
The transboundary region between the Caquetá–Japurá and Puré–Puruê rivers, located between southern Colombia and northern Amazonas State in Brazil, is one of the most well-preserved and, at the same time, most vulnerable ecological corridors in the Amazon. In this setting of interconnected rivers, vast areas
The Earth4All Brazil report, released ahead of COP30 in Belém, argues that Brazil’s climate leadership depends not only on its ecological and energy assets but also on strengthening social trust and institutional cohesion. Using system dynamics modeling and expert input, the study outlines two
Climate change and biodiversity loss are distinct phenomena, yet deeply interconnected, with mutual impacts. The Amazon Basin is a powerful example of this interdependence, increasingly threatened by deforestation and the direct effects of environmental degradation. The symbiotic relationship between the climate and biodiversity crises affects
Igarapé at COP 30 Towards a More Just and Sustainable Planet Brazil is preparing to host COP30 in Belém do Pará at a decisive moment for the climate and nature agenda. For the Igarapé Institute, holding the conference in Amazonian territory represents a unique opportunity
The Amazon is the largest tropical forest on the planet, harboring about 10% of global biodiversity and playing a vital role in regulating the climate and the carbon cycle. Despite its socio-environmental relevance, the Amazon is under growing pressure from the gold, timber, cattle, and
At the close of the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed the creation of a new Climate Change Council. Rather than presenting a finalized proposal, the Brazilian government invited the international community to
Threats to physical security, land conflicts, environmental degradation, and weak state presence are among the most urgent challenges faced by organizations in Brazil and Colombia working on the frontlines of the Amazon. These risks are compounded by global demand for commodities — including timber,
Brazil is preparing to host COP30 in Belém do Pará at a decisive moment for the climate and nature agenda. For the Igarapé Institute, holding the conference in Amazonian territory represents a unique opportunity to transform symbolism into action: to place the forest at
Ilona Szabó de Carvalho at TED Countdown Summit 2025. June 16 – 18, 2025, Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Humphrey Gateri / TED What if the future of global power didn’t depend on extracting and depleting the planet, but instead on restoring and regenerating it? That
Environmental and natural resource-related crimes represent the third-largest illicit economy in the world in terms of the volume of money involved, ranking behind only drug trafficking and human trafficking. These are offenses that affect nature and threaten the planet’s sustainability, such as illegal logging, illicit
This publication presents an analysis of six community-led initiatives in the Amazon, organized around practical lessons that address the region’s challenges. Among the most pressing challenges are the advance of deforestation, the intensification of illicit activities, pressure on protected territories, biodiversity loss, barriers to accessing
In Brazil’s Yanomami Indigenous Territory and across other parts of the Amazon Basin, illegal gold mining has metastasized into a transnational criminal enterprise. What starts with illegal deforestation and mercury poisoning ends with laundered gold flowing into global supply chains. The trade finances organized crime, corrupt officials,
President Donald Trump has suggested that minerals beneath Ukraine could be worth trillions of dollars and that they could help shore up vital U.S. supply chains. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country’s mineral wealth is “priceless.”
Environmental and human rights defenders play a critical role in combating ecosystem degradation and mitigating climate change. They serve as central members of their communities, organizing others to fight injustices and abuses. Environmental defenders are the first line of defense in places where the biome
An analysis of the impacts and results of social reintegration initiatives for formerly incarcerated individuals in Brazil and worldwide, focusing on recidivism and the guarantee of rights. This is the primary objective of this study, which mapped 32 evaluative publications related to 21 national and
The Amazon faces a variety of security challenges, ranging from historical issues such as high homicide rates, theft, drug trafficking, and violence against women to new threats to the region’s rich biodiversity, including deforestation, illegal logging, illegal mining, and land grabbing. Considering the complexity of
País registra un aumento en todas las formas de violencia no letal contra las mujeres Las cifras de 2023 muestran un aumento del 11% en las tasas de violencia sexual y del 22% en las tasas de violencia psicológica contra mujeres en solo un año
A new report by the FACT Coalition found that many investigations into environmental crimes do not follow the money. Of the 230 cases analyzed, 76% involved the use of front and shell companies, likely due to flaws in the anti-money laundering systems of foreign countries, researchers said.
Political violence is hardly new to America. Since the country’s inception, gunmen have shaped its political landscape, from the Civil War to the Ku Klux Klan, to high-profile assassinations and the bombing of federal buildings. Yet the threat of political violence has deepened in recent years and
I am writing from Cali, Colombia, where COP16, the UN Biodiversity Conference, is taking place. Among the various goals of those here to advocate for nature, one significant milestone has been achieved: the launch, this past Monday, of the Framework for the International Advisory Panel
This Monday (28th), the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB), composed of 25 organizations and experts from various countries, will present a global framework at COP16, the UN Biodiversity Conference. This framework provides guidelines to ensure the integrity of biodiversity preservation and restoration projects.
CALI, Colombia: The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) today launched its Framework for high integrity biodiversity credit markets. The Framework lays the foundation for how biodiversity credits, a financing mechanism, can be harnessed to drive much needed investment towards the conservation and restoration
The Igarapé Institute, along with various civil society organizations from Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and Peru, presented seven key recommendations to combat, mitigate, and prevent the damages caused by illegal gold mining in the Amazon basin. The proposals were discussed during the event “Illegal
The Ministry of Justice, through the Drug Policy Directorate, reported that 54 species in Colombia are at critical risk and two ecosystems are under total threat due to illicit cultivation and the convergence of other environmental crimes.
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