These palm oil plantations are in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Palm oil is the most widely produced edible tropical oil. It is used in a vast array of products—from ice cream and chocolates to cosmetics to biofuel. To meet global demand, palm oil trees are grown on vast industrial plantations, leading to the destruction of many acres of rain forest. Between 1980 and 2014 global palm oil production increased 1,500 percent and is expected to increase further. This leads to a loss of habitat for species such as the orangutan, which has been declared critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. Burning forests to clear land for the crop is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. February 15, 2019.