OK, OK, so palm oil itself doesn’t suck… but many aspects around the production of palm oil does.
So what’s palm oil? It’s a type of vegetable oil that is harvested from the fruit of an oil palm tree. It’s used in a number of products - go to any supermarket and you’ll find it in food and household products. In many poor and rural countries (such as those in SE Asia, Africa and Central America), palm oil production is a big business, providing a source of income for many people. For example, in Indonesia alone, about 1.5M farmers grow this crop.
Unfortunately, demand for palm oil is increasing. Great for producers, especially in those third world countries, or so one would think. It’s also very, very bad for the environment. Why? Let’s take a look, shall we?
- Tropical rainforests are being cleared to make way for new palm plantations, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions.
- More fossil fuels need to be burned to help clear away rainforests.
- Many plant and animal species, including endangered ones such as the orangutans in Borneo, are losing their habitats.
- Some species, as a result, may become extinct if nothing is done soon.
- Many indigenous people are suffering - big agribusinesses are coming in and essentially stealing the land right underneath them.
- Some are pushed off the land.
- Others are allowed to stay, but their land and water have become so polluted due to all the industrial activity.
- Laborers often face abuse and exploitation, not to mention exposure to a high level of pesticides.
It’s pretty depressing and a sad state of affairs. More to come in my next post, including the names of offending companies which use palm oil, some of the products they produce (and may be in your homes today), and ways you can help.
We should start using more plastic, less paper bags. Seriously, when we put plastic into the land fill we are reducing the amount of carbon emissions from petroleum that enter the atmosphere.
I agree…palm oil sucks. When I first learned at how detrimental palm oil is to the environment and wildlife, I swore I’d never buy products that contain it ever again.
What’s pitiful is that practically every product has palm oil in it…food, sauces, soap, makeup, shampoos…the list goes on and on.
You have to really be aware of what’s on the ingredients lists. So I’m definitely looking forward to your next post.
Please put things into context. Palm-oil undoubtedly hurts environment, but overpopulated Earth will destroy it anyway… and soon.
Look at USA - large areas of land are used to grow soy for soy oil. Other areas are used for corn - source of corn oil. These products and palm oil compete, but western media use all means to put dirt on palm oil. It’s said that it’s unhealthy, destroys the land, etc. But the true reason is economic interests, as always.
Don’t be a sheep, don’t eat everything they throw you, look for info yourself, compare, and THINK!