# data[].attributes.headline
Exploring rainforest destruction (and reconstruction too!)

# data[].attributes.subject
Exploring rainforest destruction (and reconstruction too!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

# data[].attributes.body
https://watch.screencastify.com/v/MfBfiTgHaqz4M7Fxkh9j

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Things You Can Do To Save The Rainforest - Rainforest Foundation US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What can you do to save the rainforest? It turns out quite a bit, even if you don't live near one! What we consume, support with time and money, and lend our voices to have far-reaching impacts.

# data[].attributes.body
Part 1: https://watch.screencastify.com/v/yAOoNtrjasFZtdyR3NRO

Part 2: https://watch.screencastify.com/v/yAOoNtrjasFZtdyR3NRO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Young activists raise money to save rain forests

# data[].attributes.body
https://watch.screencastify.com/v/jCmw6gKQFvkAX46goguL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Over half of the world's plants, insects and animals live in the tropical rainforests, and over 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe is produced in the Amazon. Even though rainforests provide a wealth of other benefits to the planet, these two reasons alone are enough to realize how important rainforests are for our future. By teaching children early about the importance of the rainforests, we can help them understand why we need to find ways to protect them.

In spite of what you may think, children can be proactive in the quest to save the rainforests. Millions of acres of rainforests disappear each year. By understanding how certain actions play a role in the destruction of these climates, children can make positive changes that help to preserve these important habitats.

Reduce and Recycle

Logging companies are the number one problem when it comes to the destruction of trees in the rainforests. It takes trees to make paper. Children can reduce the amount of paper that's wasted in the classroom and at home by making small changes such as using both sides of a sheet of notebook paper, encouraging their parents to use recyclable bags at the grocery store and using cloth napkins and towels instead of paper towels. When shopping for school supplies, kids and their parents can also reach for products made from post-consumer wastes and choose chemical-free products whenever possible.

Choosing Healthy Snacks

Instead of reaching for a bag of chips or cookies, children can ask parents to purchase bananas and other healthy snacks that are grown in a sustainable manner. Organic foods and beef that is grass-fed is safer for the environment and healthier for you. In many rainforests, vast swaths of land have been cleared in order to raise cattle for consumption in the United States. Most grocery stores don't include where their beef is sourced from on the label, so there is no way to tell by looking where your beef came from. By reducing the amount of beef you eat, you can help reduce the need for farmers to feel pressured to clear more land in the rainforests for raising these animals.

Writing Letters to Local Officials

Letter writing not only teaches excellent communication skills in the classroom, it also provides children with an opportunity to use that time to write letters to their congressmen. Emphasize the need to stop deforestation and remind them of the many benefits of looking for sustainable natural resources. Another idea would be to write letters of encouragement to organizations working to protect the rainforests.

Holding Fundraisers

One special way to help protect the rainforests is by supporting conservation groups in tropical countries who work hard every day to stop rainforest destruction. Children can hold a school-wide fundraising event and donate the money to one of these groups. Adopt-a-Rainforest projects are geared towards specific regions, and each region may be different in the activities the group works towards.

Education

The most important way to help preserve rainforests is through education. Read about other children who live near these rainforests and how the destruction affects them. Study facts about rainforests and learn where they are. Know what products are eaten and used on a daily basis that actually come from the rainforests and think about how life would be without these items.

Rainforests disappear at a rapidly enormous rate every second. If this continues, it won't be long before the climate completely disappears along with the many plants and animals that live there. Even though most children don't live near rainforests, these climates do affect everyone in some way every day. Teaching children respect for the rainforests and by teaching them how to change their behaviors to protect these climates can ensure that there will be plenty of tropical rainforests in the future. By simply educating individuals, reducing the number of resources used, and donating to resources that can help, thousands of acres of rainforests can be saved every year.

Protect the Planet

Help preserve vital habitat at The Rainforest Site for free! →

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Junior Rainforest Rangers: Even Kids Can Help Save The Rainforest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over half of the world's plants, insects and animals live in the tropical rainforests, and over 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe is produced in the Amazon. Even though rainforests provide a wealth of other benefits to the planet, these two reasons alone are enough to realize how important rainforests are for our future.

# data[].attributes.body
Territory of the Surui people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Desmatamento da Terra Indígena Sete De Setembro (Povo Paiter Suruí) - Amazônia, Brasil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I Am Innovation - The Story of The Suruí

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Just four commodities-beef, soy, palm oil, and wood products-drive the majority of global deforestation. And consumers can help stop it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Almost every year, a smoky haze blankets the South East Asian region - signalling the return of forest fires in Indonesia.

For many in this region, grey skies and a lingering acrid smell are not unfamiliar, but 2019 has already brought with it some of the worst haze levels in years.

But what causes these fires - and why do Indonesia's forests burn each year?

What's causing the haze?

According to Indonesia's national disaster agency, there were 328,724 hectares of land burnt this year from January to August alone.

Among the most affected regions were Central, West and South Kalimantan, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.

But Indonesia's not the only culprit. There have also been cases of open burning in neighbouring Malaysia, though it pales in comparison to Indonesia.

As of 14 September, there were 10 hotspots in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, compared to 627 in Kalimantan, according to the ASEAN specialised meteorological centre.

The burning usually peaks from July to October during Indonesia's dry season.

Many farmers take advantage of the conditions to clear vegetation for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations using the slash-and-burn method.

They often spin out of control and spread into protected forested areas.

The problem has accelerated in recent years as more land has been cleared for expanding plantations for the lucrative palm oil trade.

The burnt land also becomes drier, which makes it more likely to catch fire the next time there are slash-and-burn clearings.

Why is it an issue?

The haze usually measures hundreds of kilometres across. It has spread to Malaysia, Singapore, the south of Thailand and the Philippines, causing a significant deterioration in air quality.

In Malaysia, hundreds of schools have been forced to close after the haze reached "very unhealthy levels" of 208 on the Air Pollutants Index (API) in several districts.

On 14 September, Pollutants Standards Index (PSI) levels in Singapore went beyond the 100 mark for the first time in three years, though it's yet to reach the hazardous levels of 2015.

In 2015, the PSI level in Singapore was at 341 - schools were forced to close and several fast-food chains suspended their delivery services.

On both indices, a reading above 100 is classified as unhealthy and anything above 300 is hazardous.

But it's in Indonesia where the impact is most felt.

In Palangkaraya, the capital of central Kalimantan, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 2000 on Sunday, according to Greenpeace Indonesia.

Anything between 301-500 is considered hazardous.

For many, its a reminder of 2015, the country's last major haze crisis.

The 2015 crisis cost the country $16bn (£12bn) and caused more than 500,000 people to suffer from respiratory ailments - a state of emergency was declared.

"It's just like 2015," llham, a Palangkaraya resident told BBC Indonesia. "[It caused] my wife's face to turn red... [from skin irritation]. When she was taken to the emergency room, it turned out to be because of the smoke."

"I haven't opened the windows and doors for two weeks," said Lilis Alice, another resident. "In the morning, it's dark. If I'm inside the house I have to turn on the lights. It's so dark."

What makes it so dangerous?

Besides irritating the respiratory tract and the eyes, pollutants in the haze can cause serious long-term damage to health.

The indices used to measure air quality in the region usually measure particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

PM2.5 is considered the most dangerous as it can enter deeper into the lungs. It has been associated with causing respiratory illnesses and lung damage.

Over the years, forest fires have destroyed much of the natural habitat of Indonesia's orangutans and released large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

Kalimantan is home to many of the region's orangutans. The Bornean orangutan is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Indonesia has been dumping millions of litres of water in affected areas and has sent in the army to help fire fighters.

The country has for years promised to step up enforcement. Under President Joko Widodo, it has named 10 corporations as suspects this year, and said it is investigating more than 100 individuals.

In September 2015, Mr Widodo told the BBC his country needed at least three years to tackle the haze as it was "not a problem you can solve quickly".

Almost four years later, the forests in Indonesia continue to burn.

Indonesia has long struggled to police the vast rural expanse in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The slash-and-burn technique employed by many in the region is arguably the easiest way for farmers to clear their land and helps them get rid of any disease that may have affected their crops.

But it's not just small-scale farmers at work here. The concern is many of these fires are started by big corporations that want to plant oil palm plantations.

Indonesia is the world's biggest producer of palm oil and the demand for the commodity has been rising. This means there is need for extra land for palm oil plantations.

But Indonesia and environment rights activists also say the country is not entirely to blame, as some of the big corporations accused of illegal burning have Malaysian and Singaporean investors.

Slash-and-burn is illegal in Indonesia but has been allowed to continue for years, with some saying corruption and weak governance have contributed to the situation.

Greenpeace International has said some companies in Indonesia appeared "to operate outside the law for years with little sanction".

In the meantime Indonesian authorities struggle to put out the fires, many of which have flared up on flammable and dry peat-rich areas.

A peat fire is difficult to put out as it can burn underground for months, and requires a lot of water to extinguish. Fires can spread underground and spring up in other places later.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Indonesia haze: Why do forests keep burning?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A smoky haze has blanketed the region, an annual phenomenon that affects millions of people.