What cacao can teach us about protecting the Amazon, with Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter

"When you ask a young indigenous man to give up all of his land for $20,000, he'll say no way, because what grows in there is gold, cacao is gold!" Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter tells Climate Curious, breaking down how investing in the companies that bring Amazon-grown products to market is key to protecting the rich biodiversity of the Andean Amazon. Michelle explains why current public sector strategies are not enough to beat private sector actors like illegal gold mining operations, and instead how investing in businesses that pay smallholder and indigenous producers more for regenerative products, cacao and beyond, can provide sustainable and profitable alternatives to deforestation. Recorded live at TED 2026 in conversation with TEDxLondon Director Deesha Chandra.

For more on illegal mining check out Claudia Vega’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojfZMid20iA

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Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper

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