Independent New Zealand farmer Max Purnell witnessed the aftermath of rainforest destruction in Riau, Sumatra. Canals dug into the carbon rich peat soils transport valuable logs out of the forests. Afterwards, the land is drained of water and remaining foliage and wood is burnt prior to the planting of palm plants. This releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and is the main reason that Indonesia is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the US.