Scientific expedition reveals Congo's "carbon bomb"

The Congo Basin is the green heart of Africa and the second largest rainforest on the planet. It shelters a huge diversity of animals and plants and provides a livelihood for millions of people. In October 2017, I was fortunate to join a team of scientists on their expedition into the heart of the Congo Basin. Here, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the researchers have discovered a large area of a peatland. The peat represents a massive carbon store - the equivalent of three years the world's fossil fuel emissions - making it critical to protect this area in the fight against climate change.