Palm oil plantations around Indonesia and Malaysia have tripled in just a decade. between 1990 and 2010 9.6 million hectares of land were converted into palm oil plantations. Parts of Southeast Asia are frequently covered in a thick haze due to smoke. Palm oil is destroying forests and habitats, with orangutangs being primarily affected. Unsustainably produced palm oil has led to the death of an estimated 100,000 orangutangs. Often companies choose unsustainable palm oil because it benefits them more, due to it being a cheaper alternative, but it's killing our animals and causing numerous problems for biodiversity.

Palm oil is in almost 50% of all packaged products we find in supermarkets. It is commonly used in many commercial goods such as cookies, ice cream, shampoo, cup noodles, and many more. The problem is many companies don’t tell you when they are using unsustainable palm oil in their products.

But why are palm oil plantations bad? Because every hour 300 football fields of forestland are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. To make way for these, they burn the forest, ultimately expelling hundreds of millions of metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, speeding up the effects of climate change. This affects all of us, and even though Indonesia might not be close to you, global warming affects all of us around the world.

Not only does this affect the climate, but also the animals. There are currently at least 200 endangered species threatened by palm oil production like the orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, and the Borneo elephant. Orangutangs are being largely affected by this, with 50 orangutans being killed every week, with only an estimated 55,000 left. At this rate, orangutangs are predicted to become extinct in around 25 years if we don't do anything to prevent the burning of the rainforests.

“We can't keep cutting down rainforests forever and anything that we can't do forever is by definition unsustainable if we do things that unsustainable the damage accumulates, ultimately to a point where the whole ecosystem collapses.”

-David Attenborough.

Despite the current situation, there are other ways we can help stop the production of unsustainable palm oil. Companies that produce sustainable palm oil, certified by organizations like RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil), provide economic benefits to local communities, whilst trying to lessen their impact on the environment. We need to act now before the change is irreversible and hundreds of animals become extinct from the burning of the forests.

If you want to learn more go to Palm oil Youtube video