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I thought it was just supposed to prevent a health crisis ie prevent heart attacks and other health issues. I don't remember any marketing for palm oil related to saving the environment. Am I wrong?

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The headline doesn't really fit the article. Here's the bit that explains it: "Imports of biodiesel to the United States surged from near zero to more than 100 million gallons a month. As fuel markets snatched up every ounce of domestic soy oil to meet the American fuel mandate, the food industry also replaced the soy it had used with something cheaper and just as good: palm oil, largely from Malaysia and Indonesia, which are the sources of nearly 90 percent of the global supply."

Biodiesel was supposed to be good. It can be made out of a variety of vegetable and animal oils. I don't think they talked about palm oil in particular.

It’s used for bio-diesel. The cars that run on it are sold as green, but by burning the rainforest to make enough palm oil, the cars that run on it are instead the least green.

I don't remember reading any articles about palm oil being used as biodiesel in US media. Most of the coverage centered around palm oil being the savior from trans-fats.

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