Mostly it is fossil fuels and crude oil that cause a stir. But recently, it has been another oil that is causing the stir. Palm oil – the universal food ingredient also used for cleaning cupboards and beauty products – is now hitting the headlines
Palm Oil
It is a vegetable oil that is extracted from palm fruits. Originally It was used to oil machinery that drove the Industrial Revolution by the British. And now it is used in shampoo, soap, cleaning products, cosmetics, sweets, baked goods, and toothpaste as well.
Palm fruit trees are originally from West Africa but now grown across the globe due to demand. Most of the palm oil in the world is harvested from Malaysia and Indonesia.
Over 60 million tonnes of palm oil is exported yearly – that is about 30 percent of the vegetable oil produced in the world. It plays a big role in the success of this nation’s economy.
Is Palm Oil Bad for You?
It contains nutrients like vitamins A & E, but also, it has plenty of saturated fat. A tablespoon of this oil contains 14g of fat and 14 calories.
It should be consumed in moderation like any other fats.
Is Palm Oil Bad for the Environment?
Palm oil demand destroying the rainforests at a frightening rate is where the problems lie. Greenpeace states that Indonesia cuts down palm oil plantation the size of a football pitch every 25 seconds.
Rainforests Are the Earth’s Lungs
Production of Carbon dioxide is a real problem for the environment. The rainforests are referred to as the earth’s lungs since they absorb CO2 & breathe out O2. The absence of the rainforests means we would not have a healthy environment. If they completely disappear then we will never have sufficient air to breathe in.
Deforestation is shrinking these critical rainforests. As you burn your way through the rainforest’s ancient trees, you are adding to the air pollution menace. Indonesia is 3rd in the world carbon dioxide pollution scale.
SPECIES LOSS
The rainforests are home to the endangered species because the habitats to these species are being brought down in order to make way for the palm oil trees. One of three of the species in Indonesia is endangered because of deforestation.
About 25 Bornean orangutans are lost per day because of deforestation. Over the last 20 years, 90% of their habitat has been destroyed. There are only 60,000 of the beautiful creatures that are left, & counting.
The orangutans are not the only animals facing extinction as a result of deforestation. professionals predict that in 3 years the Sumatran tigers will be nowhere. The sun bear, Sumatran rhino, clouded leopard, probosci’s monkey and pygmy elephant all face extinction as well.
Native Indigenous Cruelty
People who work in Indonesia are at the mercies of the government and major industries that control the production of palm oil.
They are forced to rely on palm oil process since they have no other way to support their families. They are destroying the rainforest land that they once relied on for shelter and food and it is now disappearing.
Avoiding Palm Oil
There are various ways to help before the rainforests all gone.
o Choose sustainable palm oil
o Check the labeling & choose an alternative
o Look for other vegetable oil alternatives