Say NO To Palm Oil (A persuasive report)

Do you know that 50% of the things you buy from the Supermarket contain something that's ending lives?

In this report you will learn why we should stop using unsustainable palm oil. Palm oil is a vegetable oil made from the kernels of a Palm Tree.  There are three main reasons why I believe we should stop using unsustainable palm oil.

1. It's harming the environment.
2. It's endangering animals.
3. It's even affecting people.

Environment

One example of how Palm Oil affects the environment is that in order to grow palm trees, palm farmers cut and burn down lots and lots of rainforest for space.  In fact 36 football fields of rainforest are destroyed every minute.  If we keep going at this rate in 100 years there will be no rainforest left at all!  

Another example is that the amount of pollution (carbon) released by the forest fires is greater than the amount of carbon released by all the vehicles in the world combined!

This carbon is also a major contributor to Global Warming!

So because it is so terrible for the environment we should stop using palm oil.

Another reason I believe this is because it's endangering so many amazing animals.

Animals

For example the deforestation involved in palm production is causing a large amount of habitat loss for many poor, helpless creatures which means that they have nowhere to live and nothing to eat.

Another way palm oil affects animals is that the fires used to clear the rainforest spread so fast that animals can't out run them.  So, many of them either get killed in the fires or sustain injuries that prevent them from doing what they have to do to survive (e.g. hunt, exercise, forage for food, defend themselves etc).

My final example is that because the animals don't have anything to eat, they go close to or break into villages to find food. They can then be shot by villagers or farmers who are just trying to protect themselves and their food supply.

It's not just individual animals that are getting hurt, but it's happening on such a wide scale that entire species are becoming endangered!  Many of those of species are well known such as the Sumatran Tiger and Bornean Orangutang but there are also many not so commonly known species.  In fact if palm oil production around the world continues at it's current rate 28,000 species will be extinct within 25 years!

So because it's endangering so many amazing animals we should stop using horrible, unsustainable palm.

The final reason I believe we need to stop using palm is that it is even endangering us as people!

People

For example, innocent people are being forced into SLAVERY at the palm farms and even CHILDREN are being forced into labour in some places!

Another astonishing yet 100% true example is that indigenous people are being forced from their homes and lands so that the land can be burned to nothing just so some greedy companies will have space just to grow a stupid vegetable oil!

But that's not all.  Another example is that loads of local people are suffering from nasty health effects such as severe fevers, burns and respiratory problems from the heat and smoke!

Not only are people being affected locally but other people even in different countries are being affected too.  In Singapore people are even having to wear masks to filter all the pollution just to do everyday chores because of all the haze released by fires all the way in Indonesia.  In 2015 air levels reached hazardous levels (the worst it can get) because of all the smoke released.  Because of this many people are getting breathing problems such as lung disease.  In these countries schools are sometimes shut down and people are being frequently advised not to go outdoors because of the amount of toxic pollution during this time.

So because it's harming people I believe we should stop using the worst vegetable oil in the world.  (PALM!)

In this report you have learned why unsustainable palm oil is so bad.  You learned why it's terrible for the environment, animals and people.

All of this doesn't have to happen!  There are many better alternatives such as sustainable palm oil and other vegetable oils.   

So what can you do?

Next time you go to the Supermarket check the ingredients list on the things you buy for palm oil.  (Even things like peanut butter and cosmetics).  It is in roughly 50% (HALF) of all products on supermarket shelves!  Then if you see palm as one of the ingredients, choose not to buy that product.  Because if customers don't buy palm oil, manufacturers will have less demand for their products.  In turn they will need less palm oil and so won't buy as much from producers.  Then the producers won't destroy as much rain forest to make space to grow palm trees.  

So you have the power to save the environment, animals and even human beings if you just choose to say "NO!" to palm!