On 5 June 2022, award-winning journalist Dom Phillips was working on a book about the Amazon rainforest, alongside the indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, when they were both shot dead. They are believed to have been assassinated by one of the criminal networks whose ecological exploitation they were working to expose.

A team of expert writers took up his partially completed manuscript, committed to his mission of uncovering the truth about deforestation and searching for solutions. This team was led by Jonathan Watts, Global Environment Editor for The Guardian, who tells How To Academy this remarkable story. It is a story of fires, land grabs and 400 billion trees; of corruption, crime and murder; and of friendship, compassion and dedication. 

Jon speaks with award-winning journalist Edie Lush as they grapple with the questions: why is the Amazon so important to life on earth, how can we save it, and how many more of its defenders must die before we do?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices