The pace of deforestation has so far been slower than in Brazil or Indonesia. That's largely because the country's so poor that very few people can afford chainsaws. But if modern mechanical means to slice down the tree have become widely available in Congo before the country is able to regulate them, then an environmental disaster looms.
The economics are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world vastly outweigh those of felling trees. We travel to the Amazon and find that the problem is largely down to lawlessness in the world’s rainforests. And reflecting on the life of Oe Kenzaburo, a Japanese writer shaped by family crisis who gave voice to the voiceless.
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