The website also contains key numbers. Many point to concerns over the oil's high saturated fat content, the methods by which it is grown, and the long-term effects that this now-booming industry will have in the future. But why is it bad? Palm oil trees grow best on land that has not been previously used for agriculture, which means primary rainforests are cleared to make room for expanding palm plantations. AFP/AFP/Getty Images . The growing number of palm oil plantations are also bad for humans. In Benin most palm oil is still produced by women for domestic use. Get answers below! Why More People Need to Be Talking About How Palm Oil is Damaging the Environment. But often it’s listed under a huge number of names which do not always include the word ‘palm’. Palm oil leads to deforestation. Palm oil plantations are expanding more rapidly than almost any other agricultural commodity. The palm oil industry has grown rapidly over the past 20 years. LEGAL NOTICE . Palm oil is the most consumed oil in the world. Palm oil is primarily harvested from palm trees that grow in rainforests — and as explained by Rainforest Rescue, developers often bulldoze or set fire to land in rainforests to make room for more palm oil plantations. 25 Jan. Palm oil and/or it’s derivatives are found in approximately half of the packaged products sold worldwide. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that an area about the size of 300 football fields is cleared each hour in tropical rainforests for palm oil production. With demand for palm oil rising rapidly, there is growing concern about its sustainability and awareness that some palm oil is “good” and some is “bad”. Why is palm oil bad? From ice cream and soap, to pizza dough and detergent, palm oil is virtually impossible to avoid. Palm oil is a kind of vegetable oil, like sunflower or rapeseed oil but many consider it to be bad for the environment. Recently, I’ve tried to cut back on palm oil. If you do want to use vegetable oil, palm oil has the lowest environmental impact so that would be the best choice (you can also read some more about that here). Often land is being stolen from the local population and this means people are forced to move or have difficulty growing sufficient food. 29, 2020. Since the demand for palm oil has risen, beginning in the late 20th century, huge areas of forest in south-east Asia and Africa have been destroyed. Study on the environmental impact of palm oil consumption and on existing sustainability standards . What is palm oil? Producing the edible oil wreaks havoc on the environment, leading to deforestation, habitat degradation, and loss of animal habitat. Why Palm Oil is Bad: This page talks about why palm oil is bad for the environment and the devastating impact palm oil plantations have on indonesian rainforests and endangered species like the orangutan Palm oil is everywhere - in our food, cosmetics, cleaning products and even fuels. This report explains palm oil plantations’ impact on the environment and highlights the resulting destruction of great ape habitats across Southeast Asia and Africa. It's Bad for Health. While it may have some health benefits, its production has major environmental and ethical concerns. Why is palm oil bad for the environment? Palm oil is often associated with tropical deforestation above all else. Some of these food products include bread, margarine, ice cream, biscuits, crackers, various chocolate products, instant noodles, cereals, doughnuts and potato chips. Very big in fact. Why is it so Bad? And if you eat packaged foods today, you’re very likely consuming refined palm oil — whether you know it or not. Posted on 25/01/2017 31/01/2017 by brenda. There's no getting around it: Palm oil is not good for the environment. The trouble is it seems to be in everything. Last summer’s promises to stop the destruction of forests from government, palm producers and companies that use the oil show those efforts are strengthening. Why Palm Oil Is So Bad For The Environment. Benin Palm oil is an ancient staple in West Africa, and its origins are artisanal rather than industrial. This is an issue that has serious impacts for people — and the environment. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Ferrero Group claims to have 99.5% traceability to the plantations and countries from which their palm oil comes. Red palm oil is unfiltered and high in carotenoids, which are pigments that give it a characteristic reddish hue. So big that you don’t even need to zoom on Google Earth to see the damage. Benefits of palm oil include decreasing cholesterol levels, reducing oxidative stress, boosting brain health, slowing the progression of heart disease, increasing vitamin A … If so many things contain it though, why is it so bad? It produces up to 10 times more oil per unit area than soybeans, rapeseed or sunflowers. Palm oil comes from the fruit on tropical oil palm trees. There are countless … However, most palm oil is currently grown in Indonesia and Malaysia. The destruction of rainforest is also very bad for the environment, as often big parts of forest are set on fire, emitting huge amounts of CO2 into the air. Palm oil may be found in more than 50% of products on supermarket shelves. This makes it difficult for consumers to know what is in the products they buy. When it comes to the problems in question, deforestation is the big one. The RSPO has a production standard that sets best practices producing and sourcing palm oil, and it has the buy-in of most of the global industry. When land is cleared for palm oil plantations it is often burned. Palm oil comes from the oil palm tree, which is native to West Africa. Coconut oil also isn’t too bad, but as coconuts are sometimes harvested using monkeys, it’s hard to know when it’s vegan. While high yielding crops are generally pretty sustainable, that is not true in the case of palm oil. Well, it is bad for our environment. From a subsistence crop in Africa to its establishment as a major global commodity in Southeast Asia, this agro-industry has had tremen- dous positive impacts, but also dramatic negative con-sequences. Final Report . But the campaign against palm oil (the production of which is responsible for 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of at least 100,00 critically endangered Bornean orangutans) is growing. Rich with oil an ancient staple in West Africa soybeans, rapeseed or sunflowers are countless why... 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