What is the concern with palm oil? Often, even whole pieces of land are sold to palm oil businesses, in exchange for much-needed money for food, health or the education of their children. Over 25% of Indonesia's rainforests have been deforested and replaced with vast palm oil plantations. (And Are They Environment Friendly), When Do Peonies Bloom? Palm oil is in food and other products around the world. A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Palm oil has a huge impact on the lives of local farmers, who have sold their land to huge companies. The palm oil is extremely versatile. Rainforests' soils hold about 45% of the world's terrestrial carbon, cutting them down is like releasing a carbon bomb. It is a key component in almost every industry. Semi-solid at room temperature, the palm oil also remains stable at high temperatures. The increased flooding as a result of global warming can also wash away the nutrient-rich topsoil and hence causing a decline in crop yields. The destruction of rainforests contributes to rising greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore climate change. In fact, due to its versatility, almost 50-percent of packaged things people buy in supermarkets have palm oil. Environmental charities have for a long time led the charge against its use. Roads built to provide access to vehicles and equipment also provide access for poachers who kill or capture animals for sale in black markets. Despite its many uses, palm oil use has been documented to cause numerous devastating impacts on the environment. In the process of clearing forests to create space for palm oil farmland, the living biomass is destroyed, causing a decrease in natural carbon sinks and a subsequent increase in net carbon on the planet. (And How to Keep Them Away), Do Deer Eat Peonies? It can cause various health risks, such as certain types of cancers, growth problems, and reproductive disorders. Around 100,000 orangutans were lost between 1999 and 2015. The palm oil fruit can produce 10 times more oil than some other plant oils making and is the most widely used oil worldwide. Attempts have been made to create sustainable palm oil but the success of this has been questioned. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Oil palms are productive crops, yielding far more than other vegetable oil crops and at a lower production cost. The number of endangered Sumatran and Bornean orangutans reduced to half in Borneo between 1999 and 2015. This is an issue … Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that is derived from the fruit of oil palm trees, which grow in tropical rainforests. This makes it very easy to extract the oil and process it at an industrial scale. About 4 million people in rural Indonesia directly depend on it, and if you go further up the palm oil supply chain, an estimated 17 million additional people earn their income from this industry. The logging of trees and the creation of industralised plantations – they cover more than 27 million hectares of surface across the world – has a negative impact on wildlife, native plants and the environment. Processed foods, cosmetics and even clothes contain palm oil. That’s why finding alternatives to palm oil is a process. As a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, it is used to power cars in the form of biofuel and also known for producing heat and power. Tree planting in former palm oil plantations: Ecosia users are helping stop the palm oil trend. It is the reason why it is extensively used in fried products. Palm oil is also extremely versatile. Read on to find out. When the existing flora is removed for planting the new plants, the soil surrounding it is often eroded. (And Ways To Reuse Toothbrushes). There are said to be some health benefits associated with palm oil but the main factor behind the rising demand is cost. Palm oil is one of the most efficient and widely used vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees. Which Everyday Products Contain Palm Oil? The rapid decrease in the number of great apes has been directly linked to palm oil. These man-made monocultures are damaging on a local and a global environmental level. Non-government organizations have urged many of the world’s biggest companies to sign global commitments to drop using “dirty” palm oil. (And Ways to Reuse Old Wax Paper), Are Toothbrushes Recyclable? people in rural Indonesia directly depend on it. Despite its many uses, palm oil use has been documented to cause numerous devastating impacts on the environment. About 1000-5000 orangutans are killed each year due to palm oil cultivation in Indonesia and Malaysia. Consumers can play a vital role as they can put pressure on the companies by petitioning to change to the palm oil production process that does not harm some of the most precious ecosystems on Earth. Forests store large amounts of carbon in vegetation and peat, and this, therefore, means that the change in land use and the burning or clearing of plantation cover increase carbon release into the environment. The increased use of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers due to the ever-increasing palm oil plantations has the potential of resulting in the seepage of the agrochemicals into groundwater and the subsequent contamination of domestic water.