A new study by 
 
the Netherlands-based 
 
Wetlands International 
 
found that at the rate 
 
that peat swamp forests 
 
in places like 
 
Malaysian Borneo 
 
are being obliterated 
 
to make way for palm oil 
 
plantations, the nation 
 
may lose all of 
 
these biodiverse forests 
 
by the decade's end. 
 
As companies that 
 
formerly depleted 
 
timber resources now 
 
clear the rest of the trees 
 
to develop profitable 
 
palm oil plantations, 
 
Malaysia and Indonesia 
 
are the world's 
 
two largest exporters of 
 
the oil, which is largely 
 
used for processed foods 
 
and so-called 
 
eco-friendly biofuel. 
 
However, researchers 
 
warn that 
 
current growing practices 
 
are far from sustainable. 
 
As trees are removed 
 
from the ancient 
 
peat swamps, 
 
not only is wildlife 
 
severely affected,
 
massive carbon stores 
 
are also released. 
 
This effect can be 
 
worsened if wildfires strike, 
 
causing peat to smolder
 
underground, becoming 
 
nearly impossible 
 
to extinguish, with even 
 
more increased emissions 
 
of carbon dioxide 
 
and methane gas
 
that had been stored 
 
for millions of years. 
 
The loss of the forest 
 
habitats has further 
 
deprived many already-
 
endangered species 
 
including tropical birds, 
 
as well as the clouded 
 
leopard, Sumatran rhino, 
 
and the world's 
 
smallest elephant, 
 
the Borneo Pygmy. 
 
Also threatened 
 
are indigenous 
 
rainforest tribes. 
 
Wetlands International 
 
is thus calling for a 
 
complete ban of peat land 
 
conversion for crops, 
 
urging companies instead 
 
toward more truly 
 
eco-friendly methods 
 
and products. 
 
We thank Wetlands 
 
International for your 
 
work in bringing us this 
 
important information 
 
about the adverse 
 
consequences 
 
of peat land clearing
 
to the environment. 
 
May humanity work 
 
quickly to save 
 
the valued forests 
 
and all precious lives
 
that they sustain. 
 
Speaking during 
 
an October 2009 
 
videoconference 
 
in Indonesia, 
 
Supreme Master Ching Hai 
 
warned of nature's 
 
destruction for the 
 
production of palm oil, 
 
while offering 
 
the most sustainable 
 
actions needed 
 
to restore the ecosystem.
 
In Indonesia, 
 
your precious forests 
 
are being cut down to 
 
grow palm oil to be used 
 
as biofuel energy, and 
 
we thought that will help 
 
to minimize the CO2. 
 
We are wrong. 
 
It's a failure, causing 
 
more destruction and 
 
more greenhouse gas
 
emissions than it saves. 
 
In fact, it's releasing 
 
the world's 
 
third-largest amount of 
 
carbon emissions, 
 
because of biofuel.
 
You see, 
 
the green technology 
 
is not always reliable. 
 
Actually, not all of this 
 
palm oil product is used 
 
as biofuel even. 
 
Part of the palm oil 
 
products goes to 
 
make livestock feed. 
Fortunately, we have the 
 
solution ready at hand, 
 
sir, which is the 
 
organic vegan solution. 
 
 
 
If we look into 
 
all the scientific and the 
 
physical evidence so far, 
 
we have to accept this 
 
organic vegan solution 
 
as the one and only to 
 
save our planet right now. 
http://www.france24.com/en/20110201-malaysian-peatswamps-obliterated-palm-oil-studyhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/8295815/Malaysia-deforestation-Why-is-palm-oil-so-controversial.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/8296002/Malaysia-deforestation-Can-palm-oil-plantations-be-good-news.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8296131/Rainforest-is-destroyed-for-palm-oil-plantations-on-Malaysias-island-state-of-Sarawak.html