Palm Oil’s Negative Effect on the Environment

(Henry, 2021) (McWilliam, 2021)

The World Wildlife Fund

Table of Contents
Executive Summary............................................................................................3
The effects of deforestation around palm oil farms.............................................3
Loss of Natural Habitat for Plants and Animals.....................................................3
Increasing Carbon Emissions.................................................................................4
Pollution Caused by Palm Oil Production..............................................................5
How to limit the overall damage caused by palm oil production.........................6
Past Attempts to Combat the Issues.....................................................................6
The Effect of the Government...............................................................................7
The Effect of NGOs................................................................................................7
How Governments and NGOs help solve the problem........................................7
Setting Regulations and Restrictions.....................................................................7
Spreading Awareness............................................................................................8
Raising Funds........................................................................................................8
Conclusion......................................................................................................... 8
References......................................................................................................... 9

Figure 1: Map of decreasing forest in a particular area over 4 different

years. (Vijay, 2016)...................................................................................4
Figure 2: A chart of the carbon emissions due to the different elements
of creating palm oil farms and mills. (Reijnders, 2006)............................5
Figure 3: Water pollution caused by Palm Oil Mills (telesurHD, 2015).. . .6

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Executive Summary

Palm oil is the most common naturally produced vegetable oil in the world (PLOS ONE, 2016).
It is used in a multitude of different areas of life, including cooking, cosmetics, and cleaning
products (Vijay, para 2). Palm oil is produced in one of two ways, by squeezing the fruit of the
palm trees or by crushing the kernel inside the fruit. Palm trees grow in dense areas that get lots
of sun and yearly rainfall. The need to create space for a demanding market for palm oil causes
organizations to destroy the natural land around palm tree farms.
The destruction of neighboring areas doesn’t only affect the land that is used for production. The
increased capture of land used for palm oil farms may also be linked to negatively affecting
biodiversity and other aspects of the environment (Vijay, para. 3). Non-governmental
Organizations (NGOs) have begun to research to find ways to limit the effect of palm oil farm
production on the environment (Science Direct, 2018). The implementation of stricter expansion
rules for farms could greatly benefit the climate and environment.

The effects of deforestation around palm oil farms

Loss of Natural Habitat for Plants and Animals

Palm oil farms exist only in the tropical regions of the world. The tropics contain many different
plant and animal species. In most parts of the tropics, at least 70% of vertebrates rely upon a
closed forest, or no human intervention.
The increasing expansion of palm oil farms forces animals to live in smaller areas. By giving
animals less room to live, some become more susceptible to predators and others lose tons of
food sources provided in the parts of the forest that were destroyed. Many of these areas of
tropical forest contain endangered species of plants and animals (WWF para. 4).

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Figure 1: Map of decreasing forest in a particular area over 4 different years. (Vijay, 2016)

In clearing the land, trees, grasses, flowers, and other flora are wiped out. Studies have shown no
shared connection between species in forests and palm oil farms. “This depicts the complete
extinction of forest species in oil palm habitats.” (Dhandapani, pg. 17). In some instances, almost
no species stays on the land after it is cleared for palm oil production purposes. That may not be
a threat to the existence of certain animals but could be to smaller animals or rare animals.

Increasing Carbon Emissions

The trees of the forest greatly help in regulating the climate. By destroying hundreds of trees at a
time, tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. The exponential release of carbon
dioxide affects the atmosphere more and more over time.
The process of clearing trees may include controlled burning. These burnings release greenhouse
gases such as carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change (WWF, para. 7). Carbon dioxide
is released into the atmosphere in a few different ways during the process of creating palm oil
farms. Carbon dioxide can be released into the atmosphere when planting the palm trees, from
the vehicles used to do so, and from the actions in collecting the palm oil in palm oil mills.

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Figure 2: A chart of the carbon emissions due to the different elements of creating palm oil farms and mills. (Reijnders, 2006)

This chart shows how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere because of the
different elements that go into planting the palm tree farms and building mills. The use of fossil
fuels contributes the second most of every element. “The first is the emission of carbon dioxide
due to the use of fossil fuels associated with plantation inputs, processing of harvests and
logistics.” (Reijnders, para. 6)

Pollution Caused by Palm Oil Production

Palm oil production doesn’t only pollute the atmosphere through carbon emissions, it also
pollutes the soil and water around the farms. The main effects of palm oil production are the
release of effluent, or liquid waste, into bodies of water and the use of pesticides and fertilizer.
A palm oil mill produces two and a half times the amount of effluent compared to every metric
ton of palm oil it produces. This effluent needs somewhere to go and in many cases, it gets into
bodies of water such as rivers. Animals downstream may drink this effluent which is extremely
harmful to the animals. If the body of water that becomes contaminated with effluent is used by
humans and the people don’t know that the water is contaminated, they may drink it and share it
with the others around them. This could cause mass sickness and greatly disrupt groups of
people.

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The use of fertilizers and pesticides can “pollute surface and groundwater sources.” (WWF, para
5). The continual use of fertilizers also disrupts the soil and can cause soil erosion. Because of
the erosion, the trees don’t grow as well, causing farmers to use more fertilizer. Over periods of
time this cycle destroys the soil and renders it unusable, meaning that even after the palm oil
trees are done being planted, new plants also have trouble growing.

Figure 3: Water pollution caused by Palm Oil Mills (telesurHD, 2015).

The runoff of waste into local water sources harms wildlife, plants, and humans wanting to use
the water source for any reason. This picture shows a boat going from clear water to colorful
waste spread upon the top of the water.

How to limit the overall damage caused by palm oil

production.

Past Attempts to Combat the Issues

Palm oil production can’t be made illegal or else millions would lose a valuable source used in
their everyday lives. Many believe the government is the biggest factor in limiting the negative
effects of palm oil production (Lyons-White, para. 37). Those who produce/farm palm trees feel
that not being allowed to clear land for farming made no sense to them while others felt that “no
deforestation means no deforestation” (Lyons-White, para. 21).
Many NGOs want more regulation on palm tree farming practices. The Roundtable on
Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was founded for that exact reason. The RSPO created a

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certification that producers must obtain to be considered environmentally friendly (Lyons-White,
para. 2). The RSPO called for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and the destruction of forests.
Even though RSPO showed positives, many don’t consider their efforts to have been very
effective. “Despite its apparent success, however, the RSPO has been criticized for shortcomings
including domination by commercial interests, tardiness in promoting bans on destructive
activities and non-compliance by members.” (Lyons-White, para. 3). Others also felt that RSPO
was too strict at some points but not strict at others, considering them “insufficiently strict”
(Lyons-White, para. 3).

The Effect of the Government

Governments can set regulations and place restrictions upon parts of the palm tree farm
production process. A big key would be not having the governments assume total control over
the palm oil businesses/farms. This could cause aggression or strikes by workers and could have
a corrupt government take over and not follow the guidelines because they have full power.
Governments would help by working with palm tree farms, so as to not cause lots of tension, and
to figure out how they can better their process.

The Effect of NGOs

The RSPO paved the way for figuring out what should and shouldn’t be done to prevent the
destruction of the environment around the tropical forests. NGOs such as WWF would conduct
more research, form reports, and then publish the papers for the public to view and learn about.
NGOs would create fundraisers and awareness towards the cause, raising money that would be
used to help save the at-risk environments.

How Governments and NGOs help solve the problem

Setting Regulations and Restrictions

Governments would work with palm tree farmers and palm oil companies to find the best
solutions based on the region they are in. Governments could deem certain plots of land
unclearable so that palm tree farms knew where they could and couldn’t expand. Money could be

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given to the companies as payment for cleaning up and replanting trees and other plants in palm
tree farms that are done being used. This would allow a better ability to maintain a healthy forest.

Spreading Awareness

Both NGOs and governments have the ability to provide information to the public but NGOs
tend to be able to provide information that is trusted by society. Organizations; whether local,
national or international (WWF) could create websites, post infographics or simply have
pamphlets about the deforestation due to the commonly used item of palm oil. With this
information, people could get involved, whether by calling out uncaring companies or by
donating towards the cause.

Raising Funds

As previously stated, funds could be donated by choice from locals or even around the world.
NGOs could use these funds to work with governments or directly with palm oil companies
about reaching a sufficient level of farming. NGOs could also use the money to inform more
people, in turn bringing in more money which could then be used for any of the previous reasons
or to create incentives for donators or companies for working with the NGO.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the deforestation of tropical forests for the production of palm oil poses a threat to
the environment not just in the tropics but also the world. The pollution caused during and after
the clearing of the forests is dangerous for wildlife. The release of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere due to the palm oil mills is destructive to a vital part of the Earth’s protective shield.
The more forest that is killed, the less room for animals and plants to thrive, destroying the
biodiversity in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
Governments and NGOs play a big role in saving the environment. Governments can put
restrictions in place that keep companies from destroying too much land in the forests. NGOs can
raise money to use for benefiting the cause. NGOs and governments can work together with
companies to find middle ground so that no side uses too much power against the other.

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References
Lyons-White, Joss and Knight, Andrew. Global Environmental Change,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378017310117?
casa_token=sqaGZszcOy4AAAAA:fJU0NZlphBmEb1UK1pX8dkIB8bFBugKsIeckQGg1m9P2sGzgibBFjKh62n
au96RKQM_IICyLv_k#preview-section-references

Vijay, Varsha; Pimm, Stuart; Jenkins, Clinton and Smith, Sharon. The Impacts of Oil Palm on Recent
Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss,
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159668

WWF. Sustainable Agriculture: Palm Oil, https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/palm-oil

Selvakumar, Dhandapani. BIODIVERSITY LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH OIL PALM PLANTATIONS IN MALAYSIA:
SERVING THE NEED VERSUS SAVING THE NATURE, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Selva-
Dhandapani/publication/
281523357_Biodiversity_loss_asoociated_with_oil_palm_plantations_in_Malaysia_Serving_the_need_v
ersus_Saving_the_nature/links/5f638de4458515b7cf3ac8c1/Biodiversity-loss-asoociated-with-oil-palm-
plantations-in-Malaysia-Serving-the-need-versus-Saving-the-nature.pdf

L, Reijnders and M.A.J, Huijbregts. Journal of Cleaner Production,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652606003593

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