Palm oil is a popular crop grown for its high yield to be used in many different cosmetic products, food and ethanol. But the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia pose a threat to the rain forest ecosystem and the animals that call it home. Indonesia alone produces about 33 million metric tons every year (2014). 70% of the Indonesian palm oil is grown on the island of Sumatra. These rain forests are also the only places on earth where tigers, orangutans, rhinos and elephants live together. Sadly, these animals are all endangered. A leading cause for this is habitat loss due to the expansion of the palm oil industry. These animals are driven out of their homes and have no room to live, thus driving them towards villages where they can be killed in conflicts with humans and are more vulnerable to poachers. Not only does palm oil pose a threat to the endangered species and general biodiversity of the area, but it also has a large impact on climate change. The areas of forest where the plantations are being cultivated are intensely carbon rich - even more so than the Amazon. The burning and clear-cutting of these areas releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Another problem is much of the burning also occurs on land called "peat land" which hold even more carbon than the rain forests. This also poses a human health issue because of the haze released into the air which attributes to more than 100,000 deaths in Southeast Asia every year. Our goal is to pressure large companies into adopting more sustainable practices in growing their palm oil. By signing this petition you show your support of a sustainable future. Take a look into your own foods and products, changing your own habits causes less demand for palm oil and if the demand for palm oil decreases, so does the destruction of more land for more plantations!