Please sign palm oil petition

[burntfacedjake]

I was lucky enough to visit Borneo recently. Whilst it was a great privilege to see some of the wildlife and habitats that are still there I can also say I saw some large scale deforestation and illegal palm oil plantations. In the Kinabatangan River region of Sabah the rainforest is restricted to a narrow band along the river with palm oil encroaching all around. The remaining forest supports amazing wildlife but this is effectively trapped by palm oil plantations. These areas are also providing vital ecosystem services to the whole world, and they are being degraded as a result of the West's appetite for palm oil. To witness the devastation first hand is truly sickening, and while a small number of local people* rely on the crop for income the business is really all about fat cats and kickbacks for corrupt politicians. As most Sabahians will tell you very little of the revenue raised in the state finds its way back to the people and most of it leaves the island and into the koffers of the ruling elite in KL, who care little for the rainforest.

* As you probably already know the crop is very extensively farmed. The plantations employ very few people, and only marginally more are employed in the refineries.

[posie]

Originally Posted by burntfacedjake

I was lucky enough to visit Borneo recently. Whilst it was a great privilege to see some of the wildlife and habitats that are still there I can also say I saw some large scale deforestation and illegal palm oil plantations. In the Kinabatangan River region of Sabah the rainforest is restricted to a narrow band along the river with palm oil encroaching all around. The remaining forest supports amazing wildlife but this is effectively trapped by palm oil plantations. These areas are also providing vital ecosystem services to the whole world, and they are being degraded as a result of the West's appetite for palm oil. To witness the devastation first hand is truly sickening, and while a small number of local people* rely on the crop for income the business is really all about fat cats and kickbacks for corrupt politicians. As most Sabahians will tell you very little of the revenue raised in the state finds its way back to the people and most of it leaves the island and into the koffers of the ruling elite in KL, who care little for the rainforest.

* As you probably already know the crop is very extensively farmed. The plantations employ very few people, and only marginally more are employed in the refineries.

**...as a result of the West's appetite for palm oil..**.....As it looks impossible to overcome the problem of 'fat cats' and the corruption, maybe the only way to go is to educate the Western World (who also has fatcats) to remove the DEMAND, 'cos after all it is all about Demand and Supply, so we are guilty of creating this demand, albeit through lack of understanding... I did not know that palm oil was used for anything other than 'bottles of palm oil' so I did not know I was using it, as an ingredient in many basic things. I know 'corruption' would cause it to be hidden under another oil name in some cases, but having aroused the awareness of the people it must make some difference, if only a small amount.

[loripo]

This is from the Independent recently...
As the Independent disclosed earlier this month palm oil is in, or suspected to be in, 43 of the UK’s 100 best-selling grocery brands, including Cadbury Dairy Milk, Mr Kipling cakes and Dove soap.

It is often labelled as “vegetable fat” or “vegetable oil,” making it difficult for the public to exercise choice.

So how can we go about ensuring that it is labelled correctly, giving us the choice to boycott products that use it

I knew it was used in soap - Palm Olive - iis that still made I wonder..

[posie]

would it be an idea to have a petition about palm oil being called palm oil,

[wizzo]

I think that's a good idea Posie. I can't imagine anyone could object to that. We are entitled to know what we are buying/using. You go girl! Wizz

[burntfacedjake]

would it be an idea to have a petition about palm oil being called palm oil

Posie, I think that hits the nail on the head. I boycott palm oil where I see it as an ingredient but the 'vegetable oil' get out clause means that I probably buy some stuff containing palm oil. We should be able to make an informed choice. There will be those who don't give a ****, and always will be, but if people can be shown what having palm oil in a bar of 'chocolate' or soap actually means then some of them may think twice when shopping. It's a crazy world when we're busy washing at 15 degrees and installing low energy light bulbs only to be destroying some of the very places that store carbon for us, not to mention the criminal loss of biodiversity resulting from deforestation.

I think you're doing a great job, Posie. These issues only get attention because individuals like you care. Keep going and keep us informed.

[squeek]

Originally Posted by posie

would it be an idea to have a petition about palm oil being called palm oil,

yes i think so, it can only help. more awareness is needed and petitions help that. so yeah posie go for it

[dickybird]

like i said in an earlier post---until someone told me here that palm oil can go under the disguise of vegetable oil--i was unaware of this fact. i doubt very much that any one nation can obliterate palm oil manufacture but if we could just be informed--then maybe more individuals would choose not to use these products. this ofcourse would have to be a global decision as palm oil is so extensively used and one nation alone wouldnt have much of an effect on its sales. i have advised many friends,colleagues,family etc of the origins of palm oil and its usage and not one was aware of the facts.
its governments you need to be targetting,squeek and posie....

db

[squeek]

hi db, yes i know i have put a link to getting MPs emails in an earlier post.

i too pass the message on to friends and family so they know what to look out for. but this bit about veg oil or veg fat being used is a real problem.

but i agree its governments who need targeting and in a big way

heres the link again

WriteToThem - Email or fax your Councillor, MP, MEP, MSP or Welsh, NI, London Assembly Member for free

i hope everyone here writes to their MP.

also it may be an idea to write to supermarkets and tell them you wont buy any product/food with palm oil in.

[animartco]

Do we need palm oil? NO! It is if anything bad for you, and most of its use I think is in non edible things like soaps and detergents, where it could easily be replaced by something else. It is widely used only because it comes from poor countries where the exchange rate makes it the cheapest option. And of course as with every cash crop, the poor people starve because no food is being grown.