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Team:Manchester/environmenttest1
From 2013.igem.org
Is palm oil really that big a deal?
Palm oil is used in hundreds of products. It is likely that you have either consumed or used a product today containing palm oil or its constituents, but we, as consumers, rarely think about it or where it comes from. The truth behind its current method of production is devastating.
Currently:
- 300 football fields an hour are being chopped down every hour in Indonesia and Malaysia to make room for oil palm plantations[1]
- This mass deforestation is resulting in a massive decline in many critically endangered organisms, such as the sumatran orangutan (link to model here?)[2]
- Rare flora, much of which is yet to have been researched and is found only within these rainforests, is being destroyed and lost forever[3]
- People live in the rainforests that are being bulldozed, their homes completely eradicated because of the palm oil industry[4]
- Rainforests act as a colossal carbon sink and are often growing atop peatlands - uprooting or burning these trees releases a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere (resulting in deforestation related to the palm oil industry accounting for more global warming than every vehicle on earth combined)[5]
So yes, the problems arising as a direct result of the palm oil industry are a big deal.
References:
[1] http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/topics/palm-oil
[2] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/28/sumatran-orangutans-dying-indonesia-forest-fire
[3] http://www.indonesianrainforest.org/indonesian-rainforest/rainforest-medicinal-plants/
[4] http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/news/3891/indonesia-victims-of-the-palm-oil-industry
[5] http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/forest_solutions/palm-oil-and-forests.html
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The need for a truly sustainable, cheap palm oil
Due to the issues raised above concerning the cultivation of palm oil, and high-profile protests from the likes of Greenpeace[1], many multinational companies are making a big push to obtain the palm oil used in their products from sustainable sources.
But is certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) actually sustainable?
The short answer is no:
- The industry standard sustainable palm oil, CSPO, is inherently problematic in that CSPO can be mixed with unsustainable palm oil at any point in the production process (mass balance supply option)[2], meaning that plantations cultivating palm oil in an unsustainable manner are still being supported
- The GreenPalm system allows companies to purchase a certificate (supposedly from a sustainable grower, but the certificates are not highly regulated) and then advertise that they support the trade in sustainable palm oil[3]
- Unilever is one of the founding members and is currently one of the chairs of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), meaning that RSPO is not solely regulated by neutral parties[4]
- RSPO has come under fire in the past due to its lack of a ‘no deforestation’ policy[5] and its apparent inadequacy in regards to keeping track of its members and claims of certified sustainable palm oil[6]
As the above undoubtedly shows, there is still a need for a truly sustainable palm oil or palm oil alternative.
References:
[1] http://www.economist.com/node/16423833
[2] http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/palm_oil/solutions/responsible_purchasing/scorecard2011/supplychains.cfm
[3] http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/commentanalysis/environment/sustainablepalmoil.aspx
[4] http://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/sustainablesourcing/palmoil/rspo/index.aspx
[5] http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0407-neste-palm-oil.html
[6] http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/forest-fires-show-rspo-stamp-is-far-from-gree/blog/46047/
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The constant battle against deforestation
Despite companies attempting to use more and more sustainable palm oil, government efforts to combat the mass deforestation associated with this industry are, for the most part, failing:
- Norway offered to give Indonesia $1 billion if the country suspended the conversion of natural rainforests to oil palm plantations[1]. This moratorium was flawed and soon failed, yet a second attempt was initiated in May 2013. However, problems with the original moratorium are still relevant for this renewed version[2].
- Plantation owners start to look at other, less-regulated, land when policies are put in place to protect their current area of work. This simply leads to a shift in where the deforestation is occurring, and does not benefit the earth overall[2]
- An alternative to RSPO, Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) was introduced. This initiative is controlled by the Indonesian government and so many NGOs fear that it is simply a front, allowing companies to present a sustainable front to the public whilst continuing to operate unsustainably behind the scenes[3]
It is apparent that attempts to curb deforestation whilst maintaining the palm oil industry in its current incarnation is very difficult to achieve.
References:
[1] http://www.redd-monitor.org/2010/05/27/norway-and-indonesia-sign-us1-billion-forest-deal/
[2](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/26/sumatra-borneo-deforestation-tigers-palm-oil
[3] http://www.downtoearth-indonesia.org/node/477
