The environmental impacts of palm oil in context

Abstract

Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires balancing demands on land between agriculture (SDG 2) and biodiversity (SDG 15). The rapidly increasing production of vegetable oils in general, and palm oil in particular, is perhaps the most controversial illustration of these trade-offs. We review palm oil production in the context of global vegetable oil crops and identify a wide range of negative environmental and biodiversity impacts. Oil palm, however, generally produces more oil per area than other crops, is economically viable in sites unsuitable for most other crops, and offers otherwise scarce economic opportunities to many rural people. Consideration of the relative yields, land requirements, and environmental impacts of different oil crops is crucial to guide decision-making. Reducing palm oil production while the demand for vegetable oil is growing would disproportionately increase global land needs for oil production, impacting food security, climate change, land degradation and other concerns.

Slowing deforestation in Indonesia follows declining oil palm expansion and lower oil prices

“…However, from 2001 to 2017 conversion increased, accounting for 36% of total deforestation in Kalimantan 12 . These studies demonstrate that the impacts of oil palm on forests clearly vary by region and period 13 . Several recent studies have demonstrated that industrial plantation expansion and associated forest conversion had slowed 10,12 though not everyone agrees 14 .…”

“…Furthermore, an increasing number of consumers seek products that they consider ethical. This has generated various initiatives aimed at distinguishing and certifying products that avoid deforestation, and companies seeking to be associated with pledging to avoid forest clearing with "no-deforestation commitments" 13 . This interest has led to wide scrutiny of the palm oil industry using data that now include publicly available satellite imagery in near-real time 36 .…”

“…Steps have also been taken to protect forests, including through increased community management 41 and are gaining support and momentum. Transparency has improved, partly because of the growing availability of real-time deforestation monitoring tools 37 , and independently veri ed certi cation criteria 13 . The slow-down in expansion (now at pre-2004 levels) also provides an opportunity for the Indonesian government to focus more on details of sustainable oil palm planning and management 42 .…”

Challenging the State: Devolutionary Tenure Transitions for Saving and Expanding Forests

“…Scientific studies add force to the growing preference for tenure-based approaches to limit encroachment, fires, and logging, while also securing livelihood support for communities (Levy-Tacher et al 2019;Oldekop et al 2019;Tseng et al 2021). Research on the expansion of mining and its impacts upon forests and biodiversity calls for community land ownership as a means to help contain losses (Meijaard et al 2020;Vallejos et al 2020). In 2019 a group of 20 geospatial scientists and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change independently concluded that secure customary tenure has strong potential to advance climate mitigation at scale (Garnett et al 2018;IPCC 2019).…”

Sustainable Palm Oil—The Role of Screening and Advanced Analytical Techniques for Geographical Traceability and Authenticity Verification

“…In 2019, Malaysia exported a total of 2.09 million tonnes of palm oil to the EU-up 9.5% from 1.91 million tonnes recorded in 2018-and accounting for 11.3% of Malaysia’s total 2019 palm oil exports. However, the European Parliament resolution of 4th April 2017 decreed that, due to concern on oil palm’s impact on the environment and biodiversity, palm oil will be phased out by the EU for use as transport fuel in 2021 [ 1 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. This decision was made even though EU had made a commitment to purchase only certified sustainable palm oil that is traceable from the year 2020 onwards.…”