Why do we use palm oil?
Palm Oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. Around 50% of all the goods we use today contain palm oil such as:
1. Shampoo
2. Ice-cream
3. Margarine
4. Lip stick
5. Chocolate
Most companies describe palm oil and palm fat in their ingredients list as being vegetable oil and vegetable fat therefore we may not know that we are consuming it. Palm Oil is also cheap so it can be used in lots of foods in large quantities for a small cost to the manufacturer. Palm Oil is very versatile and grows almost anywhere in equatorial regions from the Pacific to Africa and to South America and South East Asia. Palm oil usually is grown within 10 degrees of the equator. It is a major part of the economy in the regions where it is grown and provides the communities with a good source of income and helps lift many people out of poverty and gives them a future.
1. Shampoo
2. Ice-cream
3. Margarine
4. Lip stick
5. Chocolate
Most companies describe palm oil and palm fat in their ingredients list as being vegetable oil and vegetable fat therefore we may not know that we are consuming it. Palm Oil is also cheap so it can be used in lots of foods in large quantities for a small cost to the manufacturer. Palm Oil is very versatile and grows almost anywhere in equatorial regions from the Pacific to Africa and to South America and South East Asia. Palm oil usually is grown within 10 degrees of the equator. It is a major part of the economy in the regions where it is grown and provides the communities with a good source of income and helps lift many people out of poverty and gives them a future.
what are the Benefits of palm oil?
Health benefits
It has cholesterol lowering HDL (which stands for high-density lipoprotein)
Palm oil is also free of trans fats which can cause heart disease. It is high in tocotreinols which lowers the risk of artery blockage, strokes and heart disease. Crude palm oil is high in beta-carotene which helps with your vision. It is also full of natural antioxidants which are good for you by reducing free radicals in your blood. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules in the bloodstream that can damage organs.
Commercial Benefits
It is a good use of land because it produces lots of oil per hectare. Palm oil is an outlier from other vegetable oil crops because of its high output. It produces 3.74 tons per hectare per year (compared to soya, sunflower and canola which all produce less than 1 ton per hectare per year).
The farmers that farm palm oil, used to farm rubber for which demand has reduced. Now, they are farming palm oil which produces much more money per hectare for the farmer. This higher income improves the standard of living for the farmers and their families in developing third world countries.
It has cholesterol lowering HDL (which stands for high-density lipoprotein)
Palm oil is also free of trans fats which can cause heart disease. It is high in tocotreinols which lowers the risk of artery blockage, strokes and heart disease. Crude palm oil is high in beta-carotene which helps with your vision. It is also full of natural antioxidants which are good for you by reducing free radicals in your blood. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules in the bloodstream that can damage organs.
Commercial Benefits
It is a good use of land because it produces lots of oil per hectare. Palm oil is an outlier from other vegetable oil crops because of its high output. It produces 3.74 tons per hectare per year (compared to soya, sunflower and canola which all produce less than 1 ton per hectare per year).
The farmers that farm palm oil, used to farm rubber for which demand has reduced. Now, they are farming palm oil which produces much more money per hectare for the farmer. This higher income improves the standard of living for the farmers and their families in developing third world countries.
How can we resolve the problems caused by unsustainable Palm Oil activities?
Sustainable palm oil is an approach to oil palm agriculture that aims to produce palm oil without causing deforestation or harming people. It is produced by certain plantations that have been found to comply with the global environmental standards. Around 18% of the world’s palm oil production was certified sustainable in 2014
We can help resolve problems caused by unsustainable Palm Oil by supporting organisations such as Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund to educate people around the world about the impact the destruction of the rainforest has on the local people and endangered species that live there.
We ourselves can help by reducing our use of unsustainable palm oil and encouraging our family and friends to do the same and by using the Auckland Zoo’s palm oil-free shopping guide containing hundreds of supermarket products, to help us shop. An even better option is to encourage our friends and family to only buy products that is certified sustainable. As consumers, we should be contacting the main food suppliers to ask if the palm oil in their products is certified sustainable. If the palm oil in their product is not sustainable we should tell them we won't be buying their product until it is. You can also help by ensuring that any timber, wood furniture and paper products you buy has the Forest Stewardship Council stamp of approval.
This is the Auckland Zoo’s palm oil-free shopping guide: http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/conservation/Documents/palm_oil_free_shopping_list.pdf
We can help resolve problems caused by unsustainable Palm Oil by supporting organisations such as Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund to educate people around the world about the impact the destruction of the rainforest has on the local people and endangered species that live there.
We ourselves can help by reducing our use of unsustainable palm oil and encouraging our family and friends to do the same and by using the Auckland Zoo’s palm oil-free shopping guide containing hundreds of supermarket products, to help us shop. An even better option is to encourage our friends and family to only buy products that is certified sustainable. As consumers, we should be contacting the main food suppliers to ask if the palm oil in their products is certified sustainable. If the palm oil in their product is not sustainable we should tell them we won't be buying their product until it is. You can also help by ensuring that any timber, wood furniture and paper products you buy has the Forest Stewardship Council stamp of approval.
This is the Auckland Zoo’s palm oil-free shopping guide: http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/conservation/Documents/palm_oil_free_shopping_list.pdf
What is the competition between groups for this resource?
The competition is environmental i.e. for the land. The rainforest helps purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. The rainforest is the natural habitat of many endangered species including the Sumatran Tiger and Orangutan. It also provides a home for the indigenous people and a source of income through tourism and traditional means.
The land has value to the palm oil plantation owners and also it provides natural habitat for the fauna and the wildlife. Unfortunately, it is not a balanced competition because the plants and the animals don't have a say in what is done to their homes. The welfare of the animals and plants is totally dependant on government regulation and the sustainable practices of palm producers - which can't always be relied on.
Destruction of the rainforest can contribute to an increase in green-house gases and global warming. After the palm oil has been harvested the oil palms can be burned which lead to the pollution of soil and waterways. The rise in the numbers of palm oil plantations can lead to species losing their homes. The competition for the habitat of endangered species has severely reduced their numbers and decreased their chances of survival, but the local people also get a source of income from palm oil plantations
The land has value to the palm oil plantation owners and also it provides natural habitat for the fauna and the wildlife. Unfortunately, it is not a balanced competition because the plants and the animals don't have a say in what is done to their homes. The welfare of the animals and plants is totally dependant on government regulation and the sustainable practices of palm producers - which can't always be relied on.
Destruction of the rainforest can contribute to an increase in green-house gases and global warming. After the palm oil has been harvested the oil palms can be burned which lead to the pollution of soil and waterways. The rise in the numbers of palm oil plantations can lead to species losing their homes. The competition for the habitat of endangered species has severely reduced their numbers and decreased their chances of survival, but the local people also get a source of income from palm oil plantations
What are the Issues the competition causes?
Because palm oil is a relatively cheap and functional oil, it is in high demand. Since it is in high demand, the price goes up so more plantations will be planted, which could destroy more rainforest. If rainforest is destroyed, rare native species are left without a home and are forced towards extinction. Once rainforest is destroyed, it takes a very long time to regenerate. Because palm oil generates good revenue for the land owner, they might become greedy and want to destroy more rainforest.
There can be conflict in palm growing areas between Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Group and the land owners. This conflict can result in violence and other illegal activities
There can be conflict in palm growing areas between Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Group and the land owners. This conflict can result in violence and other illegal activities
how can these problems be Resolved
The palm oil developers could reuse land that has already been used for something else. Palm oil industry could be developed in new regions close to the equator such as: Central America and Central Africa that currently don't have rainforest.
Governments in countries that import palm oil could ban the imports of palm oil that is not certified sustainable. This would mean farmers that didn't grow sustainable palm oil would have less demand for their products and therefore they get less income for the product, encouraging them to grow only sustainable palm oil.
Governments in countries that import palm oil could ban the imports of palm oil that is not certified sustainable. This would mean farmers that didn't grow sustainable palm oil would have less demand for their products and therefore they get less income for the product, encouraging them to grow only sustainable palm oil.
What is the sustainability of palm oil?
The RSPO (Round table on Sustainable Palm Oil) certifies palm oil. 18% of palm oil production is RSPO certified. The RSPO is a certification that palm oil companies and farms can get as proof their palm oil is grown sustainably. The palm oil plantations must meet certain criteria to get a certification. Some of the criteria are: using land that was rainforest is not permitted; burning of peat moss land is not permitted; buying land or palm fruit from farmers who have destroyed rainforest is not permitted.
what are the Alternatives to palm oil?
Some alternatives to palm oil are other saturated fats such as: Tallow (animal fat) or coconut oil. Another alternative is hydrogenated oils such as: hydrogenated soya oil. These are alternatives because they are saturated fats like palm oil. These oils are good at frying because they are stable and don’t oxidize easily.
Problems with these alternatives
Other saturated fats like tallow and coconut oil are a bigger drain on natural resources than palm oil
Unfortunately, some other alternatives such as hydrogenated oils are very unhealthy
Other saturated fats like tallow and coconut oil are a bigger drain on natural resources than palm oil
Unfortunately, some other alternatives such as hydrogenated oils are very unhealthy