Palmed off

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Source: The Guardian - May 1, 2008
By Antony van der Ent

Last week environmental campaigners, dressed up as orang-utans,
demonstrated at Unilever offices in several nations against the destruction
of Indonesia's rainforest for palm oil production. Palm oil is used in a
huge range of food products, and it is used as a biofuel. Multinationals
like Unilever utilise palm oil in their brands, despite the serious
problems associated with its production.

Palm oil production has grown exponentially in the last two decades; at the
same time the UN millennium ecosystem assessment shows a rapid decline of
forest cover in south-east Asia. According to Friends of the Earth, 87% of
all deforestation there between 1985 and 2000 can be attributed to the
establishment of new palm oil estates.

In 2002 Malaysia and Indonesia were together responsible for 84% of the
worldwide palm oil production. Virgin tropical rainforests are logged for
timber and the subsequent establishment of palm oil estates. As of 2006
over 11 million hectares of palm plantations had already replaced tropical
rain forest.

Not so long ago environmental NGOs promoted the use of biofuels to reduce
CO2 emissions. Along with environmentalists, European governments put their
faith in biofuels such as palm oil. The principal (though incorre"