The impact of the palm oil industry on the environment is currently somewhat misunderstood. Some sources have claimed that palm oil cultivation leads to harmful deforestation and other negative environmental consequences. Contrary to what these sources claim, however, palm oil is now cultivated responsibly and sustain-ably in many places, in a way that is respectful of the environment, and that safeguards critical natural resources for the future.
Palm oil producers take many steps to ensure that the environmental impact of their cultivation is minimized. The first step is careful plot selection when planting, which prevents soil degradation and conserves soil fertility. Then, beneficial covering plants are also co-cultivated to maximize environmental benefits.
Additionally, broadly adopted Integrated Pest Management strategies ensure that pest management activities are appropriate. And zero-burn practices prevent any additional emissions from being produced during replanting,
These practices help oil palm growers safeguard the environment while producing their crops. Instead of causing loss of forest cover, oil palm plantations steadily restore useful plant life after conversion, leading to a number of benefits. These include extraordinary net CO2 absorption capacity; production of food, biofuel, and other valuable products; and employment of large populations in developing countries. And all of these benefits can come without harm to the environment, as demonstrated by agricultural efforts in Malaysia, the world's second largest producer of palm oil.
Indeed, Malaysia demonstrates responsible oil palm cultivation remarkably well. Currently, Malaysia maintains approximately 56% of its area as conserved forestland. In contrast, the U.S. only maintains about 27% of its area as protected land, while the E.U. protects roughly 21% of its total area. Thus, Malaysia displays a strong and leading commitment to environmental protection. Even as oil palm cultivation has increased, so has Malaysia's amount of protected forest cover, demonstrating that fears of net deforestation are unfounded.
As a result of the increased planting areas, Malaysia's oil palm plantations have grown to become a tremendously beneficial carbon sink. Oil palm cultivation there absorbs far more carbon than it emits -- well over 200 million tons of CO2 each year! This removal not only negates the CO2 output of Malaysia's agricultural sector, but also removes a large portion of its energy sector's CO2 emissions as well.
Taken together, these facts show that palm oil is now produced in a way that respects the environment, rather than harming it. As the industry moves forward, new ways to improve sustainability and protection of natural resources will be actively pursued, including by the further development of the "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil" product certification program. The program will help industrial parties and consumers know which products are produced responsibly so that they can support sustainable oil palm cultivation. With protections like these in place, the world can continue to safely enjoy the benefits of the oil palm tree for many years to come.
