SCANDALOUS AND SAD FACTS ABOUT PALM OIL

CLEARING JUST ONE HECTARE OF PEAT FOREST

CAN RELEASE UP TO 6,000 TONS OF CARBON

DIOXIDE. INDONESIA HAS ALREADY CLEARED OVER

10 MILLION HECTARES OF THESE FORESTS

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY PALM OIL IS SO MASSIVELY

FARMED IS BECAUSE IT PRODUCES UP TO 10 TIMES

MORE OIL PER UNIT AREA THAN SOYA BEANS,

RAPESEED OR SUNFLOWERS

GIVEN THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION IN THE PAST

YEARS, NEW ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT 98% OF

INDONESIAN AND MALAYSIAN RAINFORESTS MAY

BE COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY 2022

NUMEROUS ANIMAL SPECIES HAVE BEEN FACING

EXTINCTION DUE TO THE MASSIVE CONVERSION OF

FORESTS INTO PALM PLANTATIONS INCLUDING

THE PYGMY ELEPHANT, SUMATRAN TIGER, ASIAN

RHINOCEROS, SUN BEAR, CLOUDED LEOPARD,

MALAYAN TAPIR, PROBOSCIS MONKEY,

GIBBON AND MANY MORE

HOWEVER, IT IS THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN

THAT HAS BECOME THE SYMBOL OF THE

GRUESOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE

UNSUSTAINABLE PALM OIL PRODUCTION.

OVER 50 ORANGUTANS ARE KILLED EVERY

WEEK DUE TO DEFORESTATION. THEIR HOMES

ARE BULLDOZED AND THEY ARE LEFT TO

STARVE TO DEATH

DEFORESTATION ALSO MAKES THE ORANGUTANS

MORE VULNERABLE TO POACHERS. THEY ARE

OFTEN RUN OVER BY EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT,

DOUSED IN PETROL AND BURNT ALIVE, CAPTURED,

TORTURED, BEATEN, SHOT OR SLAUGHTERED

AS THEY ARE CONSIDERED A PEST BY THE OIL

PALM COMPANIES. IN 2006 ALONE, FOR EXAMPLE,

AT LEAST 1,500 ORANGUTANS WERE CLUBBED TO

DEATH BY PALM WORKERS

CURRENTLY, A THIRD OF ALL MAMMAL SPECIES

IN INDONESIA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE CRITICALLY

ENDANGERED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE

DEVELOPMENT THAT IS RAPIDLY ENCROACHING

ON THEIR HABITAT

THE PALM OIL INDUSTRY IS ALSO LINKED TO MAJOR

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, INCLUDING CHILD

LABOUR IN REMOTE AREAS OF INDONESIA AND

MALAYSIA. CHILDREN ARE MADE TO CARRY

LARGE LOADS OF HEAVY FRUIT, WEED FIELDS

AND SPEND LONG HOURS BENT OVER COLLECTING

FRUIT FROM THE PLANTATION FLOOR