Things to know about palm oil and Indonesia’s raging forest fire

Forest fires raging across Indonesia have sent air quality levels across Southeast Asia plummeting as they belch out emissions that aggravate global warming.  The country’s palm oil industry bears much of the blame for the out-of-control blazes critics say, as producers burn land to make way for their plantations.  The pulp-and-paper sector has also come in for criticism over the issue, as have small-scale farmers who use slash-and-burn techniques to clear land for planting crops.
Here’s a look at palm oil and the role it plays in the smog crisis.  What is palm oil? Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world. It is found in everything from soap and chocolate to pizza and cosmetics, and even vehicle gas tanks — palm oil is used in biodiesels.
Extracted from the reddish-brown fruit of the oil palm tree, it helps make foods easier to spread or fried products crispier while giving them a longer shelf life.