John Prescott can't save the earth all on his own and that's why I joined Cool Earth.
John Fortune - comedian/satirist, Bremner, Bird & Fortune
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Gasping for air
We need the rainforest to breathe. They are the lungs of the world and generate as much as a quarter of the world's oxygen.
Medicine cabinet of the world
Tropical rainforests have been the source of many life-saving drugs including two-thirds of cancer drugs. Future cures will depend on forest conservation.
Rainforests water our lawns
As well as breathing out oxygen, rainforests drive global weather patterns by transpiring water into clouds. No rainforests, no rain.
Where the wild things are
Rainforests are biodiversity hotspots. A small patch of forest can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants and 750 species of tree.
Just one lost acre can wipe out a species
Losing forest means losing irreplaceable species. Every day, 35 species become extinct because of tropical deforestation.
Two lost acres by the time you read this
The world's rainforest took thousands of years to grow. But every second, an acre of rainforest is destroyed.
Protect rainforest: Tackle Climate Change
Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Carbon stored in their wood cannot contribute to global warming.
Once it's gone, it's gone
Once rainforest is cleared and the soil lost, the land usually turns into savannah which is unable to support more than grasses.
Sponsor an acre today
Save a patch of rainforest. Sponsoring an acre with Cool Earth protects 260 tons of CO2 that will otherwise contribute to climate change.
Rainforest communities are the best protectors
The best way to protect rainforest is to make sure local people are in control. Cool Earth funds rainforest communities to protect forest.
Help communities earn more from standing forest
How do local communities earn a living from protected rainforest? Rubber tapping is a traditional income source that needs conserved forest.
The finest coffee beans need rainforest
South America is the largest coffee producer. It is traditionally grown in the shade of other trees so it depends on other rainforest species.
The fruits of pristine forest
Brazil nuts only come from mature, pristine rainforest. Only certain bee species can pollinate them so they cannot be grown in plantations.
Rainforest jewel box
One of the key trade-goods of the Ashaninka people in Peru is beautiful jewellery that Cool Earth helps sell to fund conservation.
Rainforest news
Cool Earth is the leading source of rainforest news - from communities to coffee and from chocolate to carbon.
How can I make a difference?
Sponsoring rainforest with Cool Earth is a unique way to tackle climate change, and with Google Maps you can even see where your money is going.
Rainforest facts
Rainforest inventory. Even though they only 2% of the Earth's surface area, rainforests are home to 50% of plants and animals.
Why are rainforests so important?
Cool Earth is a charity that protects endangered rainforest to combat global warming, protect ecosystems and provide sustainable jobs for local people.
Working with partners throughout the Amazon, Cool Earth secures rainforest, helps protect it around the clock and ensures communities benefit from keeping the forest standing. Sponsoring an acre of rainforest with Cool Earth challenges global warming.
Why are rainforests so important? - find out more »Gasping for air
Without the rainforests the Earth would not have enough oxygen or water to support life. Without them, humans wouldn't exist.
Medicine cabinet of the world
Less than 1% of rainforest plants have even been tested as medicines so lots more breakthroughs will be found if forest is saved.
Rainforests water our lawns
Rainforests act as giant reservoirs, releasing water all year round to support billions of people, and 40% of farms in the developing world.
Where the wild things are
In one of Cool Earth's Peruvian projects there are 1,300 species of butterfly. In comparison there are only 320 species in the whole of Europe.
Rainforests under threat
Rainforests are made of living carbon - more than 260 tonnes are locked away in each acre. Destroying them releases more climate warming CO2 each year than the entire USA.
In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. That’s 100 acres cleared every minute to create short-term farmland for crops such as soya or palm oil, or for cattle ranching.
Rainforests under threat - find out more »Just one lost acre can wipe out a species
The largest rainforest mammals such as leopards and apes need huge territories so any loss of habitat can affect entire food-chains.
Two lost acres by the time you read this
Rainforests have lush vegetation and towering canopies but their soils are thin. Once the trees are gone, the soil is soon washed away.
Protect rainforest: Tackle Climate Change
Rainforests are huge carbon stores. Clearing tropical forests creates a fifth of our CO2 emissions. That's more than the USA or China.
Once it's gone, it's gone
Cattle are often grazed on this degraded land which adds methane to the carbon dioxide already burnt off. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.
Keeping carbon where it belongs
Unless rainforest is more valuable standing than cut down, the Amazon will be cleared in 50 years. Cool Earth enables individuals and organisations to help protect rainforest and keep carbon where it belongs.
Since 2007 Cool Earth's sponsors around the world have:
- Protected thousands of acres of endangered rainforest
- Prevented millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions
- Conserved many thousands of species at risk of extinction
Sponsor an acre today
Sponsoring an acre enables Cool Earth to provide round the clock protection . And with Google Maps you can even see your acre.
Rainforest communities are the best protectors
By supporting schools, clinics and sustainable jobs, Cool Earth makes sure forest protection goes hand in hand with better lives.
Help communities earn more from standing forest
The rubber tree grows natively in the Amazon and its latex sap is collected by skilled tappers who make careful incisions in the tree's bark.
The finest coffee beans need rainforest
Coffee originated in Ethiopia but high quality beans often now come from rainforest regions. The Ashaninka in Peru grow some of the finest.
The fruits of pristine forest
Harvesting brazil nuts is an important source of income that Cool earth supports by investing in processing and marketing.
Rainforest jewel box
All of Cool Earth's projects work to make sure living forest is worth more to local communities standing than it is destroyed.
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Gordon Brown announces increase in eco jobs by 2017
The prime minister Gordon Brown has announced plans to significantly increase the number of environmentally-friendly jobs over the next eight years.
Consumers 'turn to eco-friendly products'
A growing number of consumers are investing in environmentally-friendly goods in an effort to fight global warming, new research reveals.
Michael Jackson is gone but his legacy of environmental concern remains
As the music industry and fans across the world mourn the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, they reflect on the legacy he leaves behind, which is not just one of unprecedented chart success, but also of environmental concern.
Study reveals link between global warming and forest fires
A new study has revealed a link between global warming and forest fires, suggesting that climate change poses even more of a risk than previously thought.
Trophy hunting 'threatens Canada's spirit bear'
Trophy hunting is threatening Canada's spirit bears or Kermodes with extinction, an expert has warned.
Indonesian presidential hopefuls criticised for lack of green policies
Indonesia's presidential candidates have come under fire from environmental groups for not displaying any eco-conscious credentials.
US and Indonesia sign 'debt-for-nature' deal
The US government has signed a new deal with Indonesia aimed at helping the country improve its conservation efforts.
Deforestation 'prevents orangutans being reintroduced into the wild'
The deforestation of vast portions of rainforest in south-east Asia is putting the habitats of orangutans at serious risk, an environmental expert has warned.
Committee warns consumers to change shopping habits
British consumers have been urged by MPs to change their shopping habits in order to help fight global warming and prevent deforestation.
Tea company aims to help save rainforests
A tea company based in the north of England has announced that it intends to play its part in helping to save the world's rainforests.
Mozambique agrees to preserve newly discovered pristine rainforest
The government of Mozambique has agreed to protect the rainforest recently discovered by scientists using Google Earth.
Photographer releases first images of rainforest expedition
Spanish photographer Daniel Beltra has unveiled new images from his recent expedition to the Amazon rainforest.
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