Blog: Forests

Palm oil has a huge carbon footprint © Solness/Greenpeace

Since the rapid turn-around of Unilever in the wake of our Dove campaign, our campaigners have met several times with their executives. They've been discussing how to build a coalition of allies throughout the palm oil industry which will support a moratorium on further deforestation in Indonesia to grow new plantations. As Tracy mentioned last week, even though things might go a bit quiet on this campaign for while, that doesn't mean we're not working away behind the scenes.

If you simply can't wait for the new Indiana Jones film released tomorrow (I certainly can), this short film might help ease the tension in which the man with the bullwhip, Harrison Ford, lends a very personal part of himself to the fight against deforestation and climate change. It's either brilliant or grotesque, I can't quite make up my mind, but the old pun 'hair today, gone tomorrow' is definitely appropriate in this instance. But judge for yourself.

After losing respected environment minister Marina Silva from his cabinet last week, President Lula of Brazil has filled the gaping hole left by her departure. But whether the new minister Carlos Minc has the same commitment to protecting the Amazon as his predecessor, we'll just have to wait and see.

Yesterday, the 'guardian angel' of Brazil's environment, Marina Silva, threw in the towel and quit her post as Brazil's environment minister. She told President Lula that her efforts to protect the Amazon "were being thwarted by powerful business lobbies".