Climate Change

97% of Knowledgeable Scientists Are Clear.

CO2 emissions caused by human activity are changing the climate and not for the better!

greenthumb.travel is going to help preserve the environment for our children and grandchildren.

An extra passenger makes virtually no difference to the fuel used by a car. So greenthumb.travel is encouraging fuel free and emission free travel.

Every greenthumb.travel rider is asked to donate £1 to save the rainforests – worth more if they register for gift aid

Why Save Rainforests?

Tropical forests play an important role in helping to counteract climate change. They currently absorb nearly a fifth of the world’s man-made CO2 emissions every year. 15-20% of man made carbon emissions are from deforestation. We must find ways to live with less fossil fuels, but reducing deforestation, especially in the tropics, is also vital. Rainforests are especially important ecosystems. They play a vital role for everyone on the planet. A square metre of rainforest can support up to 80kg of living biomass, and can produce up to 3.5kg of biomass every year. A single hectare of rainforest may contain 200 species of tree, some over 60m tall, and over 40,000 species of insect. They produce much of the world’s oxygen which all animals breathe.

Many scientists believe the loss of species is as big a threat to mankind as climate change. There are more species in the Rainforests than anywhere else on earth. Literally millions of plants and animals, many still unknown to science, live there.

How Bad Is The Loss?

Very Bad. The Amazon alone lost 6,000 sq. km (2,315 sq. ml) in the 12 months ending in July 2013. We're losing 80,000 acres a day or an acre every second. With it goes an estimated 135 plant, animal and insect species every day. That's 50,000 species a year becoming extinct and we don't even know what most of them are.

Where Do The Donations Go?

To three charities chosen because their overheads are very low and they are working with local people to help them preserve the forests.

Size of Wales have raised enough money to protect an area of forest the size of Wales. We're hoping to raise enough money for them to save an area the size of England. (Well, if the Welsh can do it...) Because they have a grant to cover their admin costs every penny raised by us will be spent on the forests.

The Rainforest Saver Foundation work with local farmers to implement the permanent cultivation of a patch of forest instead of slash and burn farming.

The Orangutan Land Trust goal is to prevent the extinction of Orangutans. To do this they need to preserve their forest home. This will preserve the rainforest, which is our goal, and give the Orangutans a home as well.

You can find out more about our chosen charities and the work that they do here