China Needs Soy. Brazil Farms It. The Amazon Rainforest Gets Destroyed

Brazil is the world's second largest producer of soybeans, after the United States. China is -- by far -- the world's largest consumer of soy, which is mostly used as feed for pigs. With the trade war between the USA and China, Beijing has turned to Brazil as its key supplier of soy. This demand is fueling the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, where forest is being cleared to make way for farmland.

On the line to discuss the relationship between China, Brazil, soybeans and climate change, is Melissa Chan. She is a freelance journalist who covers China's global footprint. She co-authored a story in The Atlantic with Heriberto Araujo about this issue.

Get the Global Dispatches Podcast

Apple Podcasts  | Google Podcasts |  Spotify  |  Stitcher  | Radio Public