Palm Oil and the Environment

[Mygala]

It seems like that there's always one thing or another we should avoid eating, drinking, using, etc because it is harmful to the environment, ...well, here's one more.

Palm Oil is pretty common in tons of foods and products. It's not particularly good for us, ...in fact, it's actually something you should probably eliminate from your diet.

What may be even worse in the long run is that tens of thousands of acres of rainforest have been cleared for palm plantations. This has caused an immense amount of damage to ecosystems throughout Asia.

In fact, a recent study on the genetics of Orangutans has shown that:

Quote: In recent years, conservationists have linked the orangutans' decline to forest clearance for palm oil plantations, which produce the raw materials used for products like lipstick and soap.

Here is an article from the Center Science in the Public Interest.

Here is the article on the Record of the Genetic Decline of Orangutans.

bob

[pihlaja]

YLE TV had a Finnish 2-hour documentary on this. I don't quite remember all what was said, but I do remember a segment where men on a plam oil plantation were shooting proboscis monkeys for fun. It was really upsetting to see.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Proboscis monkey is even more endangered than the orangutan? Regardless, both species are highly threatened by the deforestation caused by palm oil plantations. It's very heart-breaking.

Thanks for posting this, Bob, so other people can find out about this, too.