Deforestation
(To the best of my knowledge the information below is true, please report any errors)
Indonesia has one of the world’s worst deforestation rates, averaging at around 2 million hectares a year. In 1950 the forest cover of Indonesia was about 160 million hectares, today less than 48 million hectares are left.
Massive deforestation of Indonesia began in the 1970s with the expansion of the timber industry. Then came the pulp and paper industry followed by the palm oil industry. Today, the major driving force behind Indonesian deforestation comes from the international demand for palm oil to make biofuels. An October 2009 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found that: “95 per cent of the increased production of palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia was driven by the growing demand for biodiesel”, and that “two-thirds of the current expansion of palm oil cultivation in Indonesia is based on the conversion of rainforests”.
This demand comes essentially from India, Europe and China who are all promoting palm oil biodiesel as tomorrow’s best renewable “green”energy to combat climate change. But reports show that converting forests into oil palm plantations for biofuel actually worsens climate change. Palm oil bio-diesel is not really about combating climate change, it is just about making money.
Stop consuming products made of Indonesian deforestationStop investing your money in companies and banks involved in deforestation of Indonesia
Donate to reliable NGOs and individuals who are presently protecting the forest and saving the orangutans on the field.
Avoid having a car which runs on bio-diesel.
Avoid consuming paper as much as possible.
Avoid consuming products with palm oil.
Avoid consuming all tropical hardwoods.
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