Palm oil (0)

Palm oil

Palm oil is a type of edible vegetable oil that is derived from the palm fruit, grown on the African oil palm tree. Oil palms are originally from Western Africa , but can flourish wherever heat and rainfall are abundant. Today, palm oil is grown throughout Africa, Asia, North America, and South America, with 85% of all palm oil globally produced and exported from Indonesia and Malaysia ; but most of the time not using sustainable measures .

The industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation , habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is produced, as the land and forests must be cleared for the development of the oil palm plantations. According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the equivalent size of 300 football fields of rainforest is cleared each hour to make way for palm oil production . This large-scale deforestation is pushing many species to extinction , and findings show that if nothing hanges, species like the orangutan could become extinct in the wild within the next 5-10 years , and Sumatran tigers less than 3 years. 

In total, 50 million tons of palm oil is produced annually, supplying over 30% of the world’s vegetable oil production. This single vegetable oil is found in approximately 40-50% of household products in countries such as United States, Canada , Australia and England . Palm oil can be present in a wide variety of products, including : baked goods , confectionery, shampoo, cosmetics, cleaning agents, washing detergents and toothpaste.
A large proportion of palm oil expansion occurs at the expense of biodiversity and ecosystems in the countries it is produced. Currently, a third of all mammal species in Indonesia are considered to be critically endangered as a consequence of this unsustainable development that is rapidly encroaching on their habitat. 
There are over 300,000 different animals found throughout the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra , many of which are injured, killed and displaced during deforestation. In addition, palm oil development increases accessibility of animals to poachers and wildlife smugglers who capture and sell wildlife as pets , use them for medicinal purposes or kill them for their body parts. The destruction of rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra is therefore not only a conservation emergency , but a major animal welfare crisis as well.
Wildlife such as orangutans have been found buried alive , killed from machete attacks , guns and other weaponry. Government data has shown that over 50,000 orangutans have already died as a result of deforestation due to palm oil in the last two decades. This either occurs during the deforestation process, or after the animal enters a village or existing palm oil plantation in search of food. Mother orangutans are also often killed by poachers and have their babies taken to be sold or kept as pets, or used for entertainment  in wildlife tourism parks in countries such as Thailand and Bali .
Deforestation for palm oil production also contributes significantly to climate change. The removal of the native forests often involves the burning of invaluable timber and remaining forest undergrowth, emitting immense quantities of smoke into the atmosphere and making Indonesia the third highest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
The establishment of oil palm plantations is often promoted as a way of bringing development to poor , rural regions of Borneo and Sumatra. In reality, the industry often has devastating impacts on the people in these areas . All too often, the government’s main interest in the country ’s economy leads them to allow corporations to take the land owned by indigenous peoples for their own financial benefit. 
The palm oil industry is also linked to major human rights violations, including child labour in remote areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. Children are made to carry large loads of heavy fruit, weed fields and spend hours every day bent over collecting fruit from the plantation floor. Heat exhaustion and cuts and bruises from climbing thorny oil palms are commonplace in this damaging workspace. More often than not, children receive little or no pay for their efforts.
With plantations systematically destroying the rainforest, land that the local people depend on, communities are continuously finding themselves with no choice but to become plantation workers . Faced with poor and degrading working conditions , they often earn barely enough income to survive and support their families . Instead of being able to sustain themselves, indigenous communities become reliant on the success of the palm oil industry for their income and survival , leaving these villagers incredibly vulnerable to the world market price of palm oil which they have no control over. 
You may not realize it, but palm oil is everywhere . Demand for this inexpensive, versatile vegetable oil has skyrocketed in recent years, and it can be found in thousands of common consumer products, from cookies to toothpaste. While it may be cheap in economic terms , however, palm oil carries a high environmental price tag. The good news is that palm oil doesn't have to come with these unacceptable impacts. New industry standards show that palm oil can be produced in a way that protects tropical forests, peatlands, and our atmosphere. Some companies in the palm oil supply chain have begun to commit to the new standards.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was created in 2004 following concerns raised by non-governmental organizations about environmental impacts related to palm oil production. Sustainable palm oil is an approach to oil palm agriculture that aims to produce palm oil without causing deforestation or harming people. RSPO is currently the largest sustainability- focused organisation within the palm oil sector , however its standards do not ban deforestation or destruction of peatlands for the development of oil palm plantations. 
Unlike many of the things we consume, which can have indirect ecological consequences, palm oil’s effects are direct . To stop the destruction we need to slow demand, in large part by making consumers aware of the clear link between the seemingly innocuous products we purchase and the environmental disaster they’re causing. As a consumer you have the right to say no and go the ohter way, more ethical, sustainable and healthful way.
Cited materials:

http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/Whats_the_issue.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/palm_oil/solutions/

http://greenpalm.org/about-palm-oil/the-rspo-sustainable-palm-oil

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/stop-deforestation/palm-oil-scorecard.html#.VMOEQEesXqU

http://ensia.com/voices/palm-oil-is-everywhere-heres-what-to-do-about-it/