The BBC Panorama programme 'Dying for a biscuit' highlighted the plight of orang-utans, which were being killed, and their young left to die, while the tropical rain forest was illegally felled to grow palm oil crops in Indonesia.
Vast areas are being devastated and many illegal palm oil plantations are being grown on deep layers of peat, which cause the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Orang-utans, rhinos, tigers and elephants are at critical risk of extinction in the wild due to loss of habitat in the Far East.
British food manufacturers are replacing hydrogenated fats (trans fats) with palm oil because it is solid at room temperature and because it is cheap.
The ingredients are often labelled as 'vegetable oil' rather than 'palm oil' as there is no law to force them to tell the truth.
Palm oil raises cholesterol and is bad for the heart. It can also cause allergies.
Shipping palm oil around the world from the Far East raises our carbon footprint.
There are plentiful locally-produced alternatives: butter, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil.
There have been calls for palm oil to be added to 'biofuels', but this would only make the problem worse - logging and illegal plantations are already increasing every day.
In South America, the Amazonian rain forest, which covers over a billion acres, is being felled every day to grow crops and produce beef. 80% of the soya grown is exported for animal feed.
Animals such as tamarins are threatened with extinction in the wild because they travel through the upper canopy of the trees to reach other groups to breed. If they are isolated by areas of open ground, which they cannot cross, they will not survive.
Other endangered species, such as jaguars, cougars, tree frogs and macaws, are also suffering the damaging effects of deforestation and loss of habitat.
Some trees and plants, which could be used to fight disease, are disappearing before research can be carried out.
An area the size of three football pitches is being felled EVERY MINUTE.
20% of the earth's oxygen is produced by trees in the Amazon rainforest.
Many people living within tropical rain forests are poor and it is tempting for them to sell off the timber and use the cleared ground for agriculture, but logging on a large scale can cause climate change, and environmental disasters such as drought, flooding and extinction in the wild of the plant and animal species found there.
The rain forest worldwide is being felled at an alarming rate - one and a half acres per second!
Each lovely old tree supports life in many forms within its branches and roots, from lichens to invertebrates, insects, birds and mammals.
Using sunlight and water, the chlorophyll in its leaves produces sugars for the tree's growth, taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, which is vital for life.
Madagascar is home to many unique species of animals, including all the earth's lemurs: many species are endangered by deforestation and loss of habitat.
Some lemurs, such as the Alaotran Gentle Lemur, pictured above, are critically endangered in the wild due to loss of habitat and hunting.
Things you can do to help.
Look at the links on the left and find out more about the rain forest and the management of woods and forests in your region.
Support organisations trying to improve the environment, both in the UK and throughout the world.
Before buying, make sure that wooden furniture bears accreditation that the timber has been sustainably produced (FSC mark), particularly if it is made from tropical wood.
Petition for food manufacturers to label their products correctly and to reduce their use of palm oil.
Try to avoid palm oil where possible, or insist on sustainably produced palm oil.
Check out your local supermarket on the WWF palm oil scorecard link.
