Associated Press Reports on Orangutan/Palm Oil Connection

In "Orangutan Populations Decline Sharply," by Michael Casey, guess what we learn about?

• Orangutans still live in the wild in two places: Indonesia and Malaysia.
• Their numbers have declined (almost 14% for Indonesia and 10% elsewhere) since 2004 due to illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations. "Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s top two palm oil producers, have aggressively pushed to expand plantations amid a rising demand for biofuels which are considered cleaner burning and cheaper than petrol," writes Casey.
• Michelle Desilets, founding director or Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK said, "What matters is that the rate of decline is increasing, and unless something is done, the wild orangutan is on a quick spiral towards extinction, whether in two years, five years or 10 years." In fact, according the Center for Orangutan Protection, orangutans could be extinct in Borneo by 2011.
• Wildlife ecologist, Ellie Brown, said, "Consumers
  should understand that a seemingly small decision in this country—what
  kind of cookie, cracker, or hand lotion to buy—can have major
  consequences on the other side of the world." And of course, add Earth Balance to that list.

Way back in 2005, Center for Science in the Public Interest released a report entitled, "Cruel Oil: How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest & Wildlife."

The report is very easy-to-read. It has been developed to help the average person understand that:

• Palm oil isn’t particularly healthy to consume.
• The production of palm oil is a leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia.

"[N]ew
plantations are often established in newly cleared rainforest and
peat-swamp forests (sometimes with an intermediate period of logging),
instead of on degraded land or disused agricultural land, such as old
rice paddies or old plantations. That’s because it costs much more to
rehabilitate disused agricultural land to prepare it for oil palm than
it does to clear new land. A further incentive in many cases is that
the plantation company can finance its new planting by logging and
selling valuable tropical timber trees. Burning of logged-over forests
and debris is still a widespread means of clearing land for oil palm
plantations, despite the fact that Indonesia made burning illegal after
massive plantation-initiated wildfires in 1997–98. Cash is recouped
much faster if a company clears land cheaply by burning after logging
and then plants oil palm, rather than waiting years for valuable timber
trees to grow again—unlike timber, agricultural crops are short-term investments that increase cash flow quickly (10)."

• The
  production of palm oil is responsible for lost of habitat, which leads
  to loss of wildlife (11), including: Sumatran tigers, orangutans, Asian
  elephants and Sumatran rhinos.
• The production of palm oil "[turns] many villagers . . . into
  poorly paid wage laborers (22)." I think that’s a euphemism. Also,
  indigenous people are displaced by plantations.
• Oil palm plantation agriculture contaminates the air, soil and water (22-24 for the details).

There’s also a discussion about what sustainable would mean for palm oil (28-31).

Though the report is a very quick read, it still left me exhausted.
Then I realized I’ve been Earth Balance-free for a week and I don’t
even miss it, and I felt a little burst of accomplishment and hope. The
more people who opt out, the better it is for the planet and everyone
on it.

Say it with me: Supply and demand.