Palm Oil Is In Everything -- And It's Destroying Southeast Asia's Forests

 

Unavoidable in modern life, palm oil and its derivatives are found in thousands of products worldwide, from lipstick and toothpaste to donuts, candy bars and bio-diesel.

An extremely versatile commodity that's cheaper and more efficient to produce than other vegetable oils, palm oil is currently used in half of all consumer goods 

Consumption of palm oil has quintupled globally since 1990 

The United States and Europe are its top consumers, but the desire for the commodity is growing everywhere

The commodity is the number one cause of forest loss in Indonesia, accounting for 75 percent of deforestation in some areas of Borneo, according to a 2013 Greenpeace study

 Borneo, which boasts one of the world’s oldest rainforests, and Sumatra -- the only place on earth where Tigers,Rhinos,Orangutans and Elephants live together - are two vital biodiversity hotspots in Southeast Asia, home to many unique and now-endangered creatures

The palm oil industry has also been associated with widespread human rights abuse, including forced and child labour

The forests of Indonesia and Malaysia are projected to vanish completely in 20 years if deforestation is not curtailed.  


An excavator clears a forest for palm oil plantation in west Kalimantan on Borneo island, southeast Asia.