Tigers & Orang Utans, or cheap oil?

[Two_Sheds]

This isn't a new issue, but topical as it's the Year of the Tiger.

There is less and less room for tigers, who require large areas in which to prowl, ... particularly in Sumatra, where the jungle is destroyed to create lucrative palm oil plantations. The forest is also cleared by loggers & global paper companies.

The Sumatran organ utan is down to around 6,600 due to ... the removal of forest to make way for ....palm oil plantations. (that'll be in the Guardian then!)

Why is palm oil bad?

I feel very sad, and helpless. I'm going to stop buying products with palm oil in them, and write to the companies involved saying why.

I'll let you know if I get any replies.

[pdblake]

It used to be that a squirrel could cross this country without ever touching the ground. Look at it now and think how many species our own industrial and agricultural revolutions have made extinct and how many habitats we have destroyed.

A lot of these third wolrld countries are only going through the same stages of development that we have already been through.

I know it's sad to see it happen, but who are we to stop them progressing. Many of these people are wrecking their own environments to make ends meet. If they weren't cutting down forests to grow palm oil to sell, they would be doing it to grow food, or for logging.

No idea what the answer is though I'm afraid.

[Two_Sheds]

Many of these people are wrecking their own environments to make ends meet. If they weren't cutting down forests to grow palm oil to sell

The indigenous people (who have made a sustainable living out of the forests for centuries) aren't getting the palm oil money though. The people are being driven off their land by the big companies who are.

[pdblake]

Sorry, I didn't read the story. But if that's the case then they'd still be driving them off for something else. These forests are a huge natural resource and someone is going to use them for something, and when these people see us burning fossil fuels and using every resource we find, then look at our lifestyle compared to theirs, they're not going to stop just because we don't like it.

I agree with you, it's a bad situation.

[Two_Sheds]

The forest is being cleared to make things for us, in the West, not for the poor people in the East. Things that we don't NEED, but will buy if they're cheap and we don't know or care about their provenance.

[TEB]

There is a petition that you can sign Say Yes to Orangutan Friendly Palm Oil Petition

[Two_Sheds]

Thanks, but I don't think petitions are as effective as real letters