Answer To: The future of palm oil �������� �� ���� �� ���� ��� � ������...
Deepti answered on Apr 09 2021
Palm Oil- Sustainability Issue
Palm oil is a sustainability issue because it is a highly sustainable industry that feeds the world alongside being one of the major reasons for deforestation, climate change, biodiversity loss and social conflicts. Palm oil is an incredibly efficient cash crop which produces more oil within small portion of land with very low cost of production as compared to its counterparts (Robertua, V.). The crop is significantly responsible for sustaining emerging economies. Smallholder farmers are completely dependent on palm oil production for their livelihood. Palm oil is mainly produced in tropical regions and is used in almost all consumable products like, food, cosmetics, detergent, biofuel, and even in ice creams, etc. The demand of Palm oil has been exponentially increasing thus leading to its unsustainable production. This has led to various issues of forest destruction, biodiversity loss, land conflicts and climate change (Kurniawan, 2020).
Palm plantation has caused forest destruction on a large scale thus leaving the wildlife and climate into fiasco. The manufacturers are extending their land requirements to grow more palm trees in order to meet the enormous market demand of palm oil. Approximately 160,000 square miles of area was lost in deforestation which has put human health and the health of the planet Earth at risk. Such large areas and ecosystems with high conservation values are cleared to meet the demand of palm oil through vast monoculture plantation (Lindahl, 2015).
Palm oil plantation further led to destruction of rainforests where some of the rare wildlife species reside. The rigorous plantation of palm trees has replaced the forests thus wiping out critical habitat for animals who cannot survive in any other climate conditions (Nasution, M. A., Wibawa, D. S., Ahamed, T., & Noguchi, R). The most affected wildlife is the Orangutan population, Sumatran tiger, etc.
The tropical peat forests store more carbon per unit area than other ecosystems. Deforestation is damaging these carbon storages thus adversely affecting Earth’s climate. Furthermore, vegetation in the vast lands where palm oil is planted is cleared through forest fires. This emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide contributing to climate change (Sinaga, N., Nasution, S. B., & Mel, M). These plantations done in inappropriate arrangements and on steep slopes cause soil erosion leading to floods and silt deposits on ports. The production of palm oil generates large amount of effluent which causes water pollution and affects human life as well as biodiversity.
Palm Oil- Wicked Problem
Palm oil production is wicked problem with characteristics of wicked problems as
· The problem is multidimensional global problem- It involves climate, change, deforestation, pollution, biodiversity loss and social conflicts and the problem cannot be eradicated but only managed (Salman, F., Najib, M., & Djohar, S). Oil palm cultivation is a trade-off between development and conservation that agricultural commodities are facing. They have to match the increasing demand alongside preserving the capacity of land to support ecosystems. The productions are connected to global socio-economic and environmental issues in the context of global changes.
· There is no perfect solution to the problem- Oil palm is an important ingredient in creating sustainable food. It is economically viable, most productive crop on Earth, has an ability to grow at several regions, reaps large profit margins, offers incredibly diverse usage and has no economically viable substitutes. Replacement of palm oil with alternatives like trans fats or vegetable oils to tackle environmental and health issues is not a solution since they will result in more environmental and health hazards and...