Standing in front of Dr. Robert Lang's origami masterpiece, President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana emphatically voiced his displeasure with the world's lack of attention to a global crisis: the disappearance of tropical rainforests. Guyana, a small country situated in South America, has faced a large amount of pressure from investors to cut down some of its 50 million acres of rainforest. However, President Jagdeo has not allowed this movement to substantially progress, and is still very passionate about putting an end to these often unnecessary acts.

When I asked him what he thought about other world leaders' involvement in the preservation of rainforests, President Jagdeo declared, "There has been a lot of rhetoric among world leaders and many organizations, but the actions to save the forest have not matched the rhetoric." This lack of awareness is the problem that has given Guyana's leader such headaches in the past. To find a solution to this crucial issue, Jagdeo proposes that we "move beyond recognizing how important forests are to the world, and provide resources and policies to make sure that the rainforests remain there forever and become a part of the climate change solution."

Though the solution is ideal, Guyana's President has come to learn that it is easier said than done. As he cleverly put it, "The one variable that remains unanswered is that preserving the forest cannot come at the expense of people getting food to eat, so we must create alternatives to preserve the rainforest and yet allow people to have a job and prosper."
 
My final question was certainly one of the most essential, as I asked what role Team Earth and ePals could play in the fight against climate change. He smiled, and said that "if we work as a team, the message becomes much more effective, and gets out to many more people around the world in many countries," essentially encompassing Team Earth's goal of global awareness.