Introduction
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.
About Palm Oil
What is Palm Oil?
Palm Oil is an edible vegetable oil, that originates from the Palm Oil tree. It comes from the pulp of the fruit which surrounds the kernel. It contributes to the economic development of developing countries and plays a main role in the diets of millions of people around the world.
Where is it grown? Why?
Palm trees originated in West Africa, but was brought to South-East Asia towards the start of the 20th century. During the British Industrial Revolution the demand for Palm Oil increased. At that time 250,000 tones of Palm Oil was being exported annually, this number has now risen to more that 60 000 000 tonnes a year. It is currently planted and harvested throughout Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Indonesia and Malaysia. 85% of all Palm Oil is produced and exported from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Climate
Palm trees can be grown in hot places with abundant rainfall, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. This is why there is such large plantations in places such as Indonesia and Malaysia. The reason that Palm Oil is used
Such unnatural crop selection slowly transforms our lush lands into monocultures, depleting the soil, harming the bees and other wildlife. To one mono-crop—soya bean—Patel devotes a whole chapter of his book, titled Glycine Max, that exposes the massive industry of soya bean production and post-production: from the soybean oil, to food for the cattle, to the enormously popular food additive lecithin. Hence, against the superpower of those who stand behind the soya bean business, one way to rebell, according to Patel, is to start cooking from the scrap, from simple ingredients and not prepacked foods brimming with additives. However, it is easier said than done,”I don't really like Ranch dressing, but can't seem to not have a salad without it” claims my friend
Palm oil is a lucrative business that generates billions of dollars a year. It is
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
A major source of controversy when it comes to biodiesel and other biofuels such as ethanol is what ingredient are used to make the fuel. When oils from crops are used, a number of problems can arise. For instance, biodiesel and other biofuels are often touted as environmentally friendly since they are typically made from plants, which suck the global warming gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow. However, the land may be damaged in order to grow these crops as demand for biofuels grow for example, in Indonesia, biodiesel may be causing deforestation, as native forests are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. The chemicals from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides may also upset ecosystems.
Repercussions of burning oil have arisen more progressively. The debatable topic of global warming holds burning fossil fuels responsible for higher temperatures in colder climates. An article by World Book explains why oil is so harmful towards the environment. As more cars are produced more pollutants are released into the atmosphere, those pollutants cause smog in larger manufacturing oriented cities as well as, acid rain. Factories, burning oil, dispose of the remaining chemicals into bodies of water rendering them unsafe to drink for both humans and animals alike (Hunt par. 1). Another article produced through World Book describes the
So what is this mysterious black gold substance that everyone refers to as crude oil? Basically, crude oil is a petroleum based substance that is naturally formed from plants and animals that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. These microorganisms settled deep within our Earth’s crust and comprises of numerous minerals, hydrocarbons, organic compounds and inconsequential traces of metals. Crude oil cannot just be drawn up from the ground and shoved into someone’s gas tank without first being refined
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The acai tree is a rare palm tree that is most commonly known for the tasty edible fruits that it produces. The demand for the fruit that grows on these trees has rapidly expanded in recent years. The oil that is found in the fruit is used a lot in shampoos and cosmetics, but also used for cooking.
My understanding of plants on a global scale is that most fruits and vegetables are produce and shipped out for trade. Living here in Maryland I have seen a lot of signs that local farms are marketing locally grown crops to consumers. I believe that they can do that here since residents have access to large areas of land. There is a higher demand for trees than the time that they can regrow, while sustaining an ecological balance. Bamboo is a tree that is known to grow fast and I have seen it used in flooring and various household
The production of palm oil has also had a drastic effect on the Orangutans. Through deforestation the Orangutans habitat is being cleared away, because of this the population of Orangutans has decreased by over 50 percent. Experts believe that Orangutans will be extinct in the wild in 5-10 years, this is mainly because so much of their habitat has been lost and is continuing to be ruined every day. The deforestation in Indonesia for Palm Oil production has a major effect on the environment. The traditional practices used to establish Palm Oil plantations can lead to soil erosion, burning is a common method for clearing vegetation within Palm Oil plantations, this pollutes the air in the rainforests. The main source of freshwater pollution from the Palm Oil industry comes from the processing of
Claim of cause and effect: Producing and using palm oil based biofuel significantly result in global warming, deforestation,
Synthetic oil is from crude so it is extracted from the ground but then goes to a manufacturing process consisting of manmade chemical compounds enhance its
Palm Oil is quickly becoming world’s most popular vegetable oil. Palm Oil needs warm, rich soil to grow. The ideal place for them is in the Rainforests of countries like: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The Oil Palm trees can't grow in the rainforest because they are only small trees, which means that they can't get enough light in the shadows of other trees. The Oil Palms grown best in hot and humid countries, that are along the equator. By 2004 there were 26 countries that was apart of the Palm Oil Production. In 2014 out of the 26 countries the ones in south Asia were the ones who were producing the most Palm Oil. Palm oil is grown on large scale plantations.
Many including Rothkopf, Grunwalf, and Ruiz-Marrero claim that biofuel is not the solution but rather will become a problem. They claim that if biofuel was produced in large quantity then agriculture would convert from food to fuel. According to the World Bank, over seventy five percent of the rises in food prices is directly caused by biofuel. Indonesia is the leading producer of palm oil, a major biofuel. In order to increase productivity, the people destroyed thousands of trees to plant palm tree. The destruction led to an increase in carbon production. Indonesia moved from the 21st most carbon producer to the third. Another major producer of biofuel is Brazil. If Brazilian farmers were to deforest the Amazon rainforest, it could cause a fifty percent increase in global warming. Through the world, deforestation accounts for over twenty percent of carbon emission. A gallon of biofuel requires the same amount of grain as a person would eat in a year. The switch from food to fuel would cause a worldwide food shortage and an increase in world hunger.
We need oil because it burns to produce energy. We use it to run a vehicle, to heat a building, and to produce electric power in a generator. My family use it for our car which is important because our car gets us to school, my mother to work, and my sisters to their school activities. Oil is also used as a raw material to create products such as plastics, and hundreds of other intermediate goods. Those goods include; paint for houses, carpets, trash bags, and tool boxes. Some other materials that are made from oils are hair coloring, nail polish, shampoo, and vitamin capsules. One of the main types of oils we use everyday is gasoline. Gasoline is the main petroleum product consumed in the United States. Another type of oil consumed is distillate fuel oil, which includes diesel fuel and heating oil. Diesel fuel is used in the diesel engines of heavy construction equipment, trucks, buses, tractors, boats, trains, some automobiles, and electricity generators. Heating oil, also called fuel oil, is used in boilers and furnaces to heat homes and buildings, for industrial heating, and for producing electricity. Hydrocarbon gas