Download the explainer here
Wildfires and deforestation are not only environmental problems – they are shaped by economic systems, policy decisions and global consumption. Research by CETEx and other LSE colleagues has examined these forces to understand why forests are under pressure and how better policies can protect them.
This explainer, which originated as a poster at the 2026 LSE Festival, covers:
- What forests do for the Earth
- What drives deforestation
- Why wildfires are getting harder to fight
- A case study of Indonesia
- Policies protecting forests and reducing fire and forest loss