WHY IS BORNEO SO IMPORTANT TO THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE?
Aryana Patel-Sharma, LIV
Borneo is immense. It is the third largest island on Earth, roughly twice the size of Germany. It is home to eighteen million people and over two hundred ethnic groups.
Borneo is extremely old. The rainforests are estimated to be around one hundred and forty million years old. This makes them the oldest forests on Earth and explains why such a variety of biodiversity can be found within. Borneo is home to infinite wildlife. Fifteen thousand plant species can be found in Borneo and four hundred new species have been found since 1994. Two hundred and twenty-two mammals live there, and forty-four of those are indigenous to the island.
BORNEO IS IN PERILOUS DANGER! Many of our leaders came together at COP26 to discuss and make a changes regarding global warming. On this topic they made claims to ‘end and reverse’ deforestation as it impacts climate change hugely. The world leaders had come up with the solution to ‘promote sustainable choices’. Frankly, it is hysterical that they believe this to be the only problem. They need to dig deeper and ask the key 46
questions: Why are people doing this? What is in it for them? Without having answers to these questions, they can’t ‘end and reverse’ deforestation. No one can. On top of everything they plan to end this global crisis in 2030! They need to understand the world is not going to stop and wait for them to put an end to it, everyone will carry on as normal until an alternative is found that suits them. By that time orangutans will be wiped out and more than 80% of their irreplaceable habitat will be destroyed. All we can do is cross our fingers in hope they will wake up and address the real issue… or do we? One of the dominant reasons deforestation is not receiving the recognition it deserves is because not enough people know the crucial significance it has to our future and other living species. Deforestation is currently a huge issue in the world right now, not just in Borneo.
