Thread by @IsaacMottistone

A thread on palm oil

Our consumption of products containing palm oil feeds on a burgeoning oil palm industry. Our expanding population means oil palm monoculture also needs to expand into new areas. Oil palms can only grow efficiently in warmer climates;…1

… areas often occupied by relatively undisturbed tropical and subtropical forest. These forests need to be ‘cleared’ (hacked and burnt) to make way for the palm plantations. Apart from being the ‘lungs’ of the planet, the forests are (were) also home to a myriad …2

of wild animal species, many of them already endangered, and, in some cases, indigenous people who have lived there for thousands of years. To destroy the forests kills the animals and dispossesses the people. …3

Roughly a quarter of palm oil production claims to come from ‘sustainable’ sources but the RSPO which accredits such sources has listed companies which are proven to be involved in forest destruction and human rights abuses. So, as things stand, RSPO does not provide a …4

cast-iron guarantee that the palm oil it accredits is ethically produced. The bottom line then is this: if you recognise that many products you buy from the supermarket contain palm oil, then you indicate that the biscuits, pastries and cosmetics you consume take precedence …5

over the burning forests; you are saying that the plight of indigenous people does not worry you. And you are saying that the deaths of wild animals and the extinction of entire species does not cause you concern. In short, you are not troubled by ecocide. …6

If on the other hand you are appalled by what is being done by the oil palm industry, then read the ingredients lists on products before you buy them and avoid any that contain palm oil. You can make a difference. #BoycottPalmOil and read @PalmOilDetect.