Explore the Earth with Greenpeace!

Discover the incredible places that need our protection…

Our incredible planet is bursting with life, from microscopic organisms and tiny insects, to super-fast cheetahs, gigantic whales and… us!

But we need to look after our world if we’re going to protect all of the awesome creatures that live here. Check out five of the most amazing places on Earth and find out what Greenpeace is doing to try and save them.

Become a virtual explorer!

Prepare to come face to face with majestic polar bears, swim with dolphins or step into the heart of the Amazon rainforest with Greenpeace’s wild new Virtual Reality Explorer Kit! Donate £10 or more at greenpeace.org.uk/vrexplorer and you’ll receive an amazing VR headset, stickers to decorate it, plus a cool bookmark and map to keep track of your expeditions. Brilliant!

Amazon Rainforest

Wild wonder: This vast and majestic rainforest is teeming with a quarter of all the planet’s known land species! The jaguar, the pink river dolphin, a monkey the size of a toothbrush, and a spider the size of a puppy are just a few of the species that we know about – and there are many more yet to be discovered. The Amazon is also home to over 20 million people, including 400 indigenous groups, some of which have never been contacted by other societies. Plus, the forest stores 80 to 120 billion tonnes of carbon, helping to stabilise the planet’s climate.

Danger zone: Sadly, climate change and deforestation (left) are threatening this amazing rainforest.

Action stations! Greenpeace is campaigning against deforestation.

Watch: In Greenpeace’s Virtual-reality journey into the woods you’ll soar above the Amazon canopy!

Amazon Reef

Wild wonder: Home to pink corals and sunset-coloured fish, this reef has been described as an ‘underwater rainforest’ near the mouth of the Amazon River – and we’re only just discovering how special it is.

Danger zone: Oil companies are planning to drill for oil near the 1,000-km-long reef. If there’s a spillage (near left) it could spell disaster for the reef and the area around it.

Action stations! Greenpeace has been campaigning against the oil companies planning to drill near the reef.

Arctic

Wild wonder: This icy wilderness is home to some incredible wildlife – from mysterious narwhals to majestic polar bears. The Arctic also strongly influences the planet’s climate and weather.

Danger zone: Climate change and oil drilling pose a huge threat to this vitally important icy ecosystem.

Action stations! To protect the beautiful, fragile Arctic environment, Greenpeace is leading a people-powered movement to stop the big oil companies from drilling in the Arctic. They’re also campaigning for a marine sanctuary in
the North Pole’s international waters.

Watch: In Greenpeace’s VR expedition aboard the Arctic Sunrise you can get up close to a polar bear!

Oceans

Wild wonder: The world’s oceans contain 97% of the Earth’s water and give us half of the oxygen we need to breathe. They also generate the rain that supports all life on our planet. Vast ocean ice flows help regulate our climate. Plus, biologists say many more marine species are yet to be discovered.

Danger zone: Sadly, up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans each year (below). That’s a whole truck load every minute. Plastic chokes and entangles turtles and seabirds, and clogs up the stomachs of creatures who mistake it for food.

Action stations! Greenpeace is calling on big companies to use less plastic – and to stop making plastic packaging that’s designed to be used once then thrown away.

Watch: Check out Greenpeace’s VR Great Barrier Reef dive and swim with dolphins!

Great Barrier Reef

Wild wonder: One of planet’s greatest natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. Home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 30 species of whale and dolphin, and more than 130 species of shark and ray, the 2,300-km-long reef is so large it can be seen from space! Its unique creatures, many found nowhere else on Earth, depend on the reef’s complex marine ecosystem for their survival.

Danger zone: In 2016, warming oceans caused the worst coral bleaching event in history on the Great Barrier Reef (bottom left), and almost a quarter of the reef’s coral died. The reef is under threat from climate change and industrialisation by the fossil fuel industry.

Action stations! Greenpeace is campaigning to stop mining companies dredging the sea floor near the reef to build a shipping port for the coal-mining industry.

Win!

Greenpeace are asking YOU to get arty and design a banner for their ship, the Arctic Sunrise (above)! The winning banner will be taken on a Greenpeace expedition and the winner will receive a photo of the banner in the captain’s cabin – cool!

Click here to enter the competition.