The damage that palm oil production does to the environment is both deadly and irrevocable. To harvest palm oil, tropical rainforest areas are often decimated and replaced with palm tree plantations. This process ruthlessly destroys the plant, animal, and human life established in the forest. Below is a more detailed recount of the destruction General Mills' use of palm oil has on the environment:

· Deforestation- Making way for palm tree plantations requires destroying massive areas of the rainforest. To this end, farmers burn down the portions of land they wish to use. Many of the world's rainforest areas lie atop peat bogs, or swampy marshlands that contain large amounts of carbon. When the land above the bogs is burned, the peat bog carbon is released into the atmosphere. It is estimated that this type of deforestation contributes to at least 30 percent of the world's carbon emissions each year.

· Animal casualties- Though an animal may be lucky enough to survive the violent destruction of its environment, its habitat will certainly not fare as well. Deforestation destroys natural animal habitats, forcing them to find new hunting grounds and make their homes elsewhere. Many animals cannot survive the extreme displacement this creates.

· Human suffering- Not only do the indigenous people of these rainforest areas lose their traditional homes to the production of palm oil, but deforestation also severely cripples resources they depend on for survival. Rainforest inhabitants rely on the plant and animal life in their ecosystem for sustenance, clothing, livelihood, and more. Without these resources, indigenous people face the very real possibilities of sickness, starvation, and death.

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