Leonardo DiCaprio’s virtue-signalling new cartoon film has taken just $2.2m globally at the box office, despite costing $37.5m to make, according to IMDB. Ozi: Voice of the Forest is an abject failure. Viewers have rejected DiCaprio’s hypocritical virtue-signalling wherein he preaches to audiences about the need to protect the natural world, even when he has a reputation for enjoying a lavish, carbon-emitting lifestyle aboard mega-yachts and private jets.
Ozi also gets its environmental message totally wrong. It aims its fire at palm oil through the eyes of a young orangutan. Although it’s very common in many packaged products, palm oil isn’t often discussed. It is an ingredient in many different items, from food to personal hygiene. The World Wide Fund for Nature claims that it can be found in over half of the packaged goods found in supermarkets.
Palm oil is an incredible sustainability success story, contrary to the doom and gloom message of Ozi, a film produced by Appian Way, DiCaprio’s production outfit. There’s reason to be optimistic now more than ever. Compared to other goods, palm oil is more affordable, easily accessible, and effective for consumers. The range of initiatives aimed at enhancing the welfare of orangutans is expanding. Furthermore, viewers of Ozi: Voice of the Forest who care about the environment can rest easy knowing that palm oil sustainability is improving.
There is greater support than ever before for protecting the natural rainforest habitats of Malaysian orangutans, thanks to initiatives such as the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF). Several programs to stop deforestation and save orangutans got their starts in 1992 during the Rio Earth Summit. A commitment to maintaining forest cover on half of Malaysia’s territory was made at the summit. Malaysia far exceeded that goal, with forests covering 58.8 percent of its total land area, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Forest Resources Assessment.
The work’s fruition is obvious. The state of Sabah in Malaysia is home to more orangutans than any other in the country. To protect these magnificent creatures, the government has designated an impressive 1.9 million hectares as Totally Protected Areas. The acreage covered is constantly increasing, going up from 800,000 hectares in 2007. According to projections, it will reach 2.1 million hectares by 2025.
As for deforestation, there is more good news. Research conducted by Global Forest Watch indicates that deforestation in Malaysia has declined significantly as a result of advancements in palm oil extraction. Deforestation, sometimes known as “primary forest loss,” has decreased by 70% from its 2014 peak.
What this implies is that nearly all of the palm oil that is shipped to places like Europe is certified as sustainable. Much of the credit for this improvement goes to the “no deforestation, peat and exploitation” pledged by the vast majority of palm oil growers in Malaysia.