“In the past 20 years, 63 million acres of forest cover were lost, about the size of the state of Colorado. Almost half of the critical lowland forest that was left was destroyed, endangering many species, including orangutans.

As Borneo continues to diminish, the rainforest is losing its ability to sequester carbon. For instance, in 2015, widespread burning of peatlands in Borneo and Sumatra released an estimated 1.75 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to the annual emissions of Japan. In some months that year, the daily CO2 emissions even exceeded those of the entire US economy.

An organization that I believe is making a significant impact in Borneo is Health in Harmony, with whom we are partnering for this project to raise funds and awareness.