In Indonesia, every year 800,000 hectares of forest are razed to the ground; between 2000 and 2012, more than six million hectares of primary forest — the oldest and most biodiverse — were felled, leaving an irreplaceable void at the heart of the country and of the world as a whole. One of the main causes is the industrial cultivation of palm oil, as forests are converted into plantations. This process contributes to the release of large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, since these forests are often carbon-rich peatlands.

How Indonesia is polluting the planet

Before the flood, a documentary produced and presented by Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Fisher Stevens, addresses the dramatic consequences of climate change. Among other things, the film highlights the fundamental role that the destruction of Indonesia's forests plays in the process of pollution, and which has led the country to become one of the world's biggest polluters. It focuses in particular on the responsibility of the rapid proliferation of industrial palm oil plantations in South-East Asia.

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Fewer forests, more palm oil

DiCaprio travelled to Indonesia for the filming, to Gunung Leuser park, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Flying over the forest in a helicopter, the actor points out the blanket of haze enveloping the entire landscape: "It's terrifying, you can't see a thing." The film highlights how arson fires are common in Indonesia, set deliberately to clear space for palm oil plantations. Palm oil is the cheapest vegetable oil in the world and is used in the production of food, cosmetics and detergents.

Let's save one of the Earth's last rainforests

"This film brings much-needed attention to the destruction of rainforests due to palm oil, accelerating global climate change," said Lindsey Allen, executive director of conservation organisation Rainforest Action Network. "We must aggressively tackle the deforestation crisis in places like the Leuser ecosystem. It is up to all of us to call on the world's most important global brands to do the right thing and break the link between their products and the destruction of tropical forests."