Tropical peatswamp forests are estimated to store approximately 5% of all terrestrial carbon. Conversely, as much as about 5.6% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions are from drained peatlands (IUCN 2017 Peatlands and Climate Change) and peatland fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish. Just how are peatland fires different and more severe than typical non-peatland fires? Using an inquiry based approach, students experimented with burning peat vs. “normal forest soil”, and were asked a series of questions to get them thinking about the root cause of the transboundary 2015 haze event, where complex environmental, political and socio-economic systems are inter-linked.