Palm oil and what it means to me

He shares 97% of my genes. How could I not care? His name translates into English as “man of the forest” That’s how the natives of Borneo saw the orang hutan, a man of the forest.

Yet in North America, few seem aware of the pending extinction of this primate due to the cultivation of palm oil. Its true that we have our hands more than full with fights to save the polar bear and other species threatened with extinction because of OUR own clear cutting for timber, farms and new subdivisions. Yet, to ignore what is happening in Indonesia, is like putting out one small flame while starting a fire unknowingly because what is driving the intense expansions of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia is the demand for palm oil.

Palm oil that is low in transfats, grows quickly and produces higher yields than other oil seeds. These are the basic reasons why demand has skyrocketed and with agrofuel being slated for it, the destruction to follow is unimaginable.

We are all unwitting supporters of this destruction and to stay silent would be to endorse this unfolding tragedy. From the cookies we eat to the skincreams we use, we’re driving demand up even higher and if we as consumers do not say today that we need palm oil to be sustainably grown, the damage done will be irreversible.

The problems caused by palm cultivation is starting to make world headlines as more species are threatened with extinction.It was however disappointing to note that the news does not even crack the back pages of most North American papers.

The producers and the users of palm oil know that the news is starting to trickle through and have started on sustainable palm oil but for now, most of it is all talk and little effective action. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil was formed in 2004 with its core members being producers,users and a few environmental groups thrown in for greenness sakes. It is a certifying body that few trust or believe in as the actions of its own members continually go against its own policies.

It is however, a starting point and other third party certifiers are using the RSPO as a platform from which to launch their versions of sustainable palm oil. In the words of one of these parties,” it will ultimately be up to the consumer to decide the fates of these animals under the gun”

I personally am taking on the issues for selfish reasons. Indonesia is the 3rd largest producer of global warming emissions, most of it attributable to palm oil cultivation. Global warming will increase the risk of my polar bears, it will add to the oceans acidifications that will wipe out my seafood and it will ultimately add to a global food crisis as it changes weather patterns.