There is an abundance of atrocities facing the modern world that we live in, but one of the most important and critically pressing of these atrocities is often overlooked. The very ecosystems and resources that we rely so heavily on for the success of our global economies are being exploited at a rate that will have catastrophic consequences on the future of our economic success, as well as drive a large portion of the worlds biodiversity into extinction. Among the most prevalent case of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss includes the rapid deforestation and loss of biodiversity that is caused by the production of palm oil in the South Asian countries Indonesia and Malaysia. Many may argue that this rapid deforestation is simply due to the rapidly growing global population, whereas many others view this issue as the effect of greed and consumerism that surrounds a capitalistic market. The production of this forest risk commodity is responsible for the absurd rate of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, has a profoundly negative effect on the biodiversity located in Indonesia and Malaysia, and can best be explained from a political economy standpoint. Palm oil is a key component in the production of a vast array of products that span over many different industries such as the consumer retail food industry, the personal care and cosmetics industry, the biofuel industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. It is estimated that approximately 50% of all items found
Palm Oil makes up more than 50% of daily used goods, particularly food goods, but this is not without effects on other animals, plants and people. Many people are completely unaware of the effects of Palm Oil. This is the reason why more awareness of Palm Oil and it’s effects, is necessary. This report will look at what Palm Oil is, how it is used, it’s positives, it’s negatives and sustainable Palm Oil.
Habit loss has been one of the most prominent issues regarding the animal kingdom, and now it seems like the human race is trying to rid our earth of the decreasing amount of flora in certain areas. In Indonesia rain forests are being torn apart to make way for palm oil plantations. Although palm oil is used in packages foods and cosmetics, the Sumatrans elephants and orangutan are suffering from the habitats loss. (Corwin, 8)
The orangutan, one of the world’s great apes, resides on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The forests of these islands are being destroyed in order to create palm oil plantations. Palm oil is in high demand due to its uses as a biofuel and as a vegetable oil. The palm oil industry is a major threat to the survival of the critically endangered orangutans, due to loss of habitat. This leads to illegal poaching since the orangutans are viewed as pests, leaving many young infants orphaned and alone. There are rescue groups that rehabilitate these great apes, but more must be done in order to prevent the extinction of this rapidly declining species. Sustainable palm oil options need to be researched and utilized and there should
Palm oil is a lucrative business that generates billions of dollars a year. It is
However, due to more people searching for plots there is greater pressure on the amount of available land. The logging industry is responsible for a relatively small level of deforestation, accounting for 3% in Brazil. Consequently, all these activity contribute together to the rapid loss of what is left of the rainforest and a large proportion of the world’s biodiversity. All of the resources that the rainforest provides could be lost in the next 40 years.
Palm oil is a vegetable oil high in saturated fats extracted from the palm fruit, the palm tree is a native plant to West Africa then was imported into South East Asia in the mid-19th century. It is one of the most popular edible oils and is being used in approximately 50% of products currently in the supermarkets of Australia including cosmetics, toiletries and food. Malaysia and Indonesia grows around 87% of palm oil while Australia imports about 130,000 tonnes of palm oil every year. Due to the oil plantations being in countries where there
The Sumatran Orangutan population has depleted drastically in the last twenty to thirty years due to their habitat loss through the clearing of forests to pave way for oil palm plantations and other agricultural developments (Gursky-Doyen, S., & Supriatna, J., 2010). With palm oil being extremely versatile, its demand has resulted in having 48 million tonnes of palm oil being produced each year for the world export market (Oil World Trade Journal, 2008),
The impacts of deforestation can be devastating. Jobs, products, and money may be created right now, but the long-term effects are not as pleasant. Because of deforestation, soil erosion is more likely to occur, and the water cycle may become imbalance, hurting those in the agriculture department, including your business. Without the trees, the greenhouse gas emissions increase, wreaking havoc on the weather and helping Global Warming; in turn, all living things suffer from the change, causing extinction of plants and animals needed. Along the previous statements, people depend on the rainforest; with it gone, their lives are at stake and thrown into chaos. If Palm Oil continues this destructive process, you, the company, and your associates will build a bad reputation amongst consumers and business partners, which will also harm your business. Deforestation is a situation in which no one wins, socially or economically, locally and internationally. From what I can see and mentioned above, the benefits do not outweigh the costs. If anything, helping in the fight against deforestation will help you out. In one study from around the world, 52% in the survey said they will pay extra a company’s products and services if it is associated with positive environmental and social impact, and 67% of those interviewed said that they preferred to work for companies that are socially
Palm oil is produced at a lower cost than other vegetable oils. Supply and demand for palm oil is increasing dramatically. While it is used in a wide variety of
Palm oil harvest often leads to deforestation of the rainforests, and raises many ethical concerns from the public, (Levitt, 2015).
Rainforests have been declining rapidly over the last few decades. There are various factors responsible for this decline, resulting in serious impacts on the environment and the economy. Critically discuss the causes of deforestation and solutions to it.
Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation because as human population grows the need for agricultural products increases. Unfortunately, the land used for cultivation results in the displacement of tree reliant animals such as the orangutan. “Without forests, orangutans cannot survive” (Galdikas). Palm oil is produced from trees grown in large plantations in regions where tropical rainforests once existed. The orangutans’ way of life revolves around the existence of trees, they nest in trees, drink water out of holes, and eat their fruit. Orangutans also
Nowadays deforestation is the one of the most important and controversial environmental issues in the world. Deforestation is cutting down, clearing away or burning trees or forests. Particularly tropical rainforests are the most waning type of forests because of its location in developing countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India, central African countries and Brazil. Deforestation rate in those regions is high enough to worry about, because of large economic potential of forest areas. As the result of causes such as agriculture land expansion, logging for timber, fire blazing and settling infrastructure there might be serious impacts in future. For instance, extinction of endemic species of animals and plants which will be
The rate of deforestation is increasing and the tropical forests are falling at approximately 140,000 acres per day (Miller & Tangley 1991: xvi). The forests are crucial to the environment. They are important in minimizing erosion, providing a stable habitat for many animals, and helping to keep the environment clean. Deforestation has devastating effects, not only on the biological dependents within the depleted forests, but also on the surrounding human-populated communities.
Palm oil is extracted from the mesocarp of the fruit of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the oil is derived from the kernel seed of the palm (Poku, 2002). Palm oil has a characteristic dark red color because of a high amount of beta-carotene (Lai et.al.,2015; Ng and Choo,2016).Palm oil is commonly used as cooking medium in Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of Brazil due to its lower cost (Behrman et al, 2005). and its nutritional and health attributes have been well